This Worldly Life
by Son of a Bunk
Summary: Same Realm. Different heroes. Different villain. Different Dungeon Master.
1. Chapter 1

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Step into the realm, you're bound to get caught.

And from this worldly life you'll soon depart."

-- The Roots

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

CHAPTER ONE

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She was waving at him the last time he had seen her. He didn't wave back. He smiled, but he wasn't sure that she had noticed.

He had been distracted by the young man sitting in front of him. As the car moved forward, he watched the passenger's broad shoulders and tangled blonde hair. He noticed the arm resting on the back of a young woman, and how comfortable she appeared to be with the touch.

The monsters briefly distracted him. He found himself impressed by their level of detail and the fluidity of their movements. He was even intimidated by the gleeful malice on their faces.

One boy wasn't intimidated. He was bouncing on his seat and pointing out the marvels in sight. A broad-shouldered teenager nodded at the boy's excited observations.

In the back seat someone else was making commentary. His audience was a young woman wearing a crucifix. He was pretending to be scared of the monsters, barely able to repress his giggles. She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help giggling too.

Their light mood wasn't shared by the third person in the back. The big teenager in the front must have known that. As they passed a dragon, he turned and looked at the unhappy passenger. It was hard to tell in this lighting, but a smirk seemed to be on his lips.

Then he faced forward. He pulled his companion closer. She didn't resist.

The unhappy passenger shook his head. He hoped the ride would be over soon. He had enough of monsters; enough of that other man's smirk and a young woman's bad decisions; enough of the skinny guy's jokes. Even the boy's awed declarations irritated him. He just wanted the iron bar to raise and the sun to return.

When the lighting changed, he first thought that it was part of the ride. When the monsters bent their shapes, he ruled it as a trick of mirrors.

But when the walls begin to circle like a whirlpool, he couldn't rationalize it. Neither could the others. All jokes and excited comments stopped. The big teenager shouted an obscenity.

Their seats melted away, yet the passengers kept moving forward. A boy began crying. A young woman prayed out-loud. Everyone was suspended in the air as a mist spun around them.

Darkness overcame the mist, but a small pinpoint of light could be seen in the distance. The passengers suddenly picked up speed, as if they were fired bullets.

Six young ones fell through a hole. And the monsters were waiting for them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tomas?"

"Um…"

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I seem to be."

"Okay, next question – what are you wearing?"

"Actually, I could ask the same thing of you."

Oliver looked down at himself. He no longer saw a Godzilla t-shirt with Japanese letters. He saw a gray vest with black buttons. Under it he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt of a lighter gray. Below it were pants of a similar color and dark shoes.

Tomas wore a more colorful outfit. A scarlet tunic covered his torso and arms. Near his chest was the blue symbol of a tiger. His pants were also blue. Its fabric had been sown by hand. A pair of boots warmed his feet.

Not that they needed to be warmed. Sunshine fell upon their location – a clearing in the middle of a forest. This wide patch of grass was surrounded by trees. Oliver and Tomas could barely see past the first ring of oaks. Which raised a third question…

"Where are we?" Tomas asked.

"Your guess is good as mine, amigo," someone else declared. Despite their situation, Tomas was automatically irritated by that name. He turned sharply, saying "Ben, don't call…"

He stopped when he saw Ben and his clothes. Or, rather, his furs. Some animal had died to provide the heavy brown outfit Ben wore. It covered his torso, but stopped at his armpits and right above his knees. Each arm was ringed by a leather band. And on his head was a firm cap, also made of leather.

Oliver and Tomas stared at him. He sneered. "Yeah, like you don't look ridiculous."

Oliver said, "At least we're not going to worry about lice."

"Whatever. Where's Charlie?"

"Over here," a fourth person spoke. They turned and saw a black teenager. Her name was Kathy. She wore a purple robe that almost touched the dirt. A slim belt kept it close to her waist. A white headband was above her eyes.

She was holding the hand of a boy. He was a grade school student among high-schoolers. His clothes were the simplest – a wrinkled wool shirt, matching pants, sandals on his feet.

"What happened?" the boy asked in a small voice.

The grimness on Ben's face became a forced smile. "It's okay, Charlie. You're here with me." He knelt and placed his large, calloused hands on Charlie's shoulders. "But you gotta be brave. Can you do that?"

Charlie sucked in a breath and forced his tears not to run. He nodded. "Good fella," Ben said approvingly.

The clearing was silent for a moment.

Then Oliver raised his hand. "Okay, who's for the 'it's-all-a-dream' theory? I know I am."

"That would be nice," Kathy said, "but…"

"'Cause last time I checked, there was only one sun."

He pointed skywards. The others looked above them. And, yes, there was not one, not two, but four suns of varying size and color.

"So therefore…" Oliver pressed his hands together, laid his head against them, closed his eyes and mimicked snoring.

"I like that idea," Tomas said grimly. "I don't think it's right, though."

Oliver lowered his hands and opened his eyes to show how jittery he was. "So what's your explanation? There was something in the fair hot dogs?"

"I don't know. None of us know anything until…"

"Where's Dawn?" Ben asked.

He had been looking around. The others did a quick search of the area and discovered they couldn't answer the question.

With this new fact apparent, Tomas checked his companions. They were understandably on edge. They needed a plan.

So he declared, "We need to find out if anybody else is here."

Ben rose to his feet, keeping one hand on Charlie's shoulder. "We need to find Dawn," he insisted.

"Of course we do. But we need information first. We should split up and find…"

"This isn't the Honors Society, amigo. You're not the president here."

Tomas needed a second to calm himself. Then he said firmly, "This isn't about who's in charge."

"For you that's always what it's about."

Kathy sighed. "Please you two, don't start…"

"I'm not starting anything," Tomas insisted. "I'm just trying to organize…"

"Don't 'organize' me," Ben snapped. "Especially not now."

"Then what do you suggest doing?" Tomas' voice was rising. "Spray paint an ethnic slur? Would that help?"

"Uh, guys?" Oliver said.

Ben pointed a finger at Tomas. "Don't you start with that."

"Why not?" Tomas responded. "You're the one who made it personal."

"Guys?" Oliver repeated, more urgently.

Ben pulled away from Charlie. Kathy tried to grab him, but he was already close to Tomas. The Hispanic teenager stood his ground, despite the much larger youth heading for him.

"When I make it personal," Ben growled, "you'll find my foot in your…"

"Hey, guys!" Oliver shouted. He took a risk and stood right between the antagonists. However, he was so insistent that everybody else froze and looked at him.

"This civilized debate is fascinating," he said with a tight voice, "but I gotta interrupt and ask you – should that tree be moving?"

He pointed behind him. They all looked.

And, what do you know, the tree was moving. It was one of the oaks at the clearing's edge. It was slowly turning. It crackled as its roots pushed the ground.

It wasn't alone. Another crackling noise let them know of a second ambulatory tree. Then there was a third. A fourth.

A fifth.

When the trees had fully turned, the youths could see a commonality in each oak. Two dark holes were situated above a long protrusion. Below that was a thin line. There were some minor differences, but each appearance had the same effect.

Each tree seemed to have an angry face.

Also among the shared traits were long branches, one on each side. They ended with four smaller branches. They looked like arms and fingers. They served as such when the trees lowered them and pressed against the ground.

With a shove they freed themselves from the dirt. Their roots kept them upright like a bunch of stiff tentacles.

The young visitors had watched this sight with fascination and a growing terror. The first to react was Ben. Without looking at the boy he extended his hand and said, "Charlie, come…"

The trees raised their arms. They opened their mouths – yes, their mouths – and roared.

Then they marched forward. Their stride was faster than expected.

Five young people screamed. Oliver and Kathy tried to bolt, but the swipe of a tree's limb blocked their path. They could only back up. Charlie ran toward Ben, not hiding his tears anymore. His protector could only scoop the boy and watch the circle tighten.

As for Tomas, part of his brain demanded a plan. The other part found this laughable. What could anyone do in this madness? What could any man do as he looked upwards at a wooden face full of hate?

One of the trees was almost upon him. It raised an arm. Then the thick wooden branch fell toward his skull. Tomas found himself thinking of an uncle's ranch. He had chopped wood for the first time there. Sheer instinct caused him to raise his arms and swing as if he had his uncle's ax in hand.

Next thing he knew, the tree had backed off. Its roar had changed into a scream of pain. Part of its arm was now lying on the ground, and the rest was leaking green sap.

A startled Tomas looked at his hands. He wasn't holding an ax, but a sword. A green sticky line was on its silver blade. He vaguely noticed that its golden hilt carried a symbol matching the one on his tunic.

He almost laughed. Everything had become so ridiculous. A scream from Charlie prevented his hysterical reaction.

One of the trees had grabbed onto Charlie's arm. With a huge shout Ben ordered, "Leave him ALONE."

Keeping one arm around Charlie, he swung his other arm at the tree's wrist. He was, interestingly enough, holding a mace at the time. There was a golden aura around the weapon.

It had the same result as the sword. It broke the arm into bits. The tree shrieked and bled sap.

Ben had a similar disbelieving reaction as Tomas. He turned to the others, as if looking for confirmation of the weapon in his own hand. Then he saw Tomas' sword and the other wounded tree monster.

The two young men looked at each other.

Then Ben held out his younger friend to Kathy. "Hold him," he requested.

She did. Ben faced the trees. He held his mace aloft. Its glow returned.

"Timberrrrr," he drawled. And, for the first time, Tomas was in total agreement with him.

The weapons felt so natural in their hands. They knew exactly what to do, though their tactics were different. Tomas was precise. He made sure that his blade would find its target. It left long, straight wounds like a surgeon's scalpel.

Ben missed a few times. But when he struck, huge chunks of wood would go flying. His first blow knocked a tree monster down. He ran alongside the fallen creature, swinging his mace upward and bringing it down on the monster's face.

Tomas didn't finish his opponent off. He simply cleaved it off its roots and brought the wailing beast down.

Then he plunged the sword into another monster. Before he could withdraw his blade, the wooden flank exploded. He jumped back, guarding his face against slivers.

He scowled at the young man who had just bashed the monster. "Sorry," Ben said. His grin said something else.

The wounded tree monster staggered back to the forest. Ben wanted to chase after it, but saw the last remaining tree. He advanced toward it. So did Tomas.

The monster backed up. It stopped when it reached the clearing's edge.

Ben wanted to finish it off, but Tomas said "Wait." His order was unforced yet commanding. Ben found himself keeping still.

Tomas pointed his sword at the last tree monster. "I don't know what you are, but you seem capable of speech. If you know our language, tell us where we are and how we got here."

"And where's Dawn?" Ben interjected.

Tomas nodded. "Well?"

The tree monster opened its mouth. The young visitors expected words, a plea for mercy, something like that.

Instead it uttered a deep sound that went past the clearing and bounced through the woods.

This was followed by a familiar crackling. Only this time it was copied from many directions.

Everywhere, in fact. Tomas looked into the woods and saw trees stirring all around him.

"Oh, man," Oliver groaned. "We're on its home court."

Tomas realized that they had only fought a platoon. Now they would face an army. Even with unique weapons, two teenagers couldn't win.

That's why he yelled, "Run!"

"Run?!" Oliver yelled back, incredulous. "Run where?! We're surrou…"

"Move while we have a chance!"

Tomas was right. They had to get out of the woods before the trees were fully mobile. They exited the clearing, leaving daylight for shadows.

At first, they seemed to have a chance. The tree monsters were still too clumsy, and the paths were still clear. They ducked and weaved around their enemy's grasp. When one got too close, a cut from a sword or a blow from a mace could clear the way.

Tomas kept checking the others. Kathy had Charlie in hand. She ducked under a swinging branch and kept going. As for Oliver…

He had passed one monster, but it turned with a shocking speed. It reached for him. Tomas began to shout a warning.

Then he could see nothing but oak. The monsters had formed a wall between him and Oliver.

He quickly checked his flank. To his horror he could see other barricades quickly forming and separating him from the others. The monsters had completely freed themselves from the dirt, and they wanted revenge for their brothers.

Through one of the few gaps remaining he could see that Kathy was trapped. One monster was pulling Charlie away from her while another grabbed her chest.

Then the monster upon Kathy suddenly released its grip. Its scream was so horrible that its brethren stopped and stared.

Tomas saw the screaming monster raise its hand. A white mold was covering its fingers. It spread quickly over its arm and across its body. Soon its wide eyes and mouth were outlined with the pulsating whiteness.

It screamed just a bit more before it fell apart. A pile of sickly wood formed on the ground. The sight almost distracted Tomas from the glowing object on Kathy. She was now wearing an amulet -- a smooth round crystal with a silver frame and chain.

This latest surprise left him unable to move. Then Ben came storming through a barricade. Tomas got his head back in the game and sliced through his barrier. The tree monsters made way for them and scurried back from Kathy. They didn't retreat completely, though. Instead they warily kept to a circle, noting the remains of their comrade and planning their next move.

Ben and Tomas reached Kathy. The tree monsters had left Charlie to her, but she seemed hardly aware of the boy. She was staring at the amulet. It had stopped glowing.

"Do that again," Ben whispered to her.

"Huh?" she replied.

"That thing. Do it again."

"I don't know how I did it the first time," she hissed.

"Act like you do," Tomas suggested.

She cleared her throat. Then, with one arm holding Charlie against her, she raised the amulet. She held it as if it was about to shoot lasers.

The tree monsters flinched. However, they didn't move back any further.

She kept pointing it at them with sudden, threatening movements. Each time she did it with no results, though, the threats got less convincing. Fear was leaving those wooden faces.

"I don't think they're buying it," she muttered.

"All right," Tomas said. "Follow me on the count of three. One…two…Charlie!"

The boy had squirmed out of Kathy's hold. He landed upright on the ground and began walking toward the monsters. Ben made a grab for him.

Charlie stopped him with a look. His expression had completely changed. There was no anguish, no sign of tears, no hint of a little boy's terror. There was only an unfathomable calm.

Ben moved away from him. The others shared his bewilderment and unease.

Charlie looked upon the tree monsters. They were ready to tear this child apart.

He held his staff perfectly straight…

…and, yes, he was holding a staff, nobody else had seen it before, but it was there, wooden, a little taller than Ben and with a curve on one end…

…and thumped twice on the ground. The staff emitted a familiar golden aura.

The ground began to ripple.

Tomas found another memory stirring. A science teacher once told him that a million insects could be found in one square mile. It was a difficult fact to believe.

He was a believer now. They were all coming out of the dirt – worms and ants and spiders and caterpillars and some bizarre things to be expected in a forest full of living trees. Tomas wondered if the monsters had established a truce with this vast population of critters.

If they had, there was no truce now. They swarmed up the trees, starting on the roots. The monsters tried to swat and shake off the attackers, but it was like holding back the ocean. And this was an ocean that had come to feed.

As they heard the trees cry, the teenagers couldn't help feeling pity for them. No such thing could be seen on Charlie's face. He stepped forward in expectation of a cleared path. The monsters obeyed, wanting to avoid the horde of insects at his side. Despite their unease, the older children knew a chance for freedom when they saw it. They followed the boy along the new path.

They kept going until they reached the end of the living forest. Once they were clear, Charlie touched the ground twice with his staff. The insects slithered and burrowed out of sight.

"Let's keep going," Tomas said. His fellow teenagers agreed and headed away from the woods. They were now on a dirt road moving through an expanse of grass and flowers.

Not that they were paying attention to such things. They were staring at Charlie. He still had a distant expression.

But then his staff lost its glow. He blinked. He looked at the older kids.

"Did I do something?" he asked meekly.

"You did something great," Ben declared. He picked up Charlie and set the boy on one of his large shoulders. Charlie was both confused and elated.

"He's right," Tomas said. "Thank you, Charlie."

"But," Charlie said, "what did I do?"

Tomas sighed. "I'm afraid that's another question I don't know how…wait, where's Oliver?"

Everyone looked around. Then Ben's face turned ill as he stared at the woods. "Oh, man, you don't think…"

"Maybe he's just ahead," Tomas said hopefully. He pointed forward. The road was starting down a hill. They couldn't yet see the hill's bottom.

They found Oliver standing there. A huge boulder lay near him. He was as motionless as the rock. He kept his back to them, even as they called his name.

"Hey, Oliver!" Ben said. "You wouldn't believe what just happened!"

Just as they reached the base of the hill, Oliver turned. He looked like somebody had just whacked his head with a mallet.

They stopped a few feet away from him. Ben said, "Uh, you all right?"

Oliver merely stared an oblique response. Kathy tried talking to him. "What is it? Tell us."

He stepped toward her. His movements were heavy, and his eyes were still blank.

"Oliver, what are you…"

He poked her shoulder. He poked _into_ her shoulder. It slipped through her clothes and past her skin.

She yelped and scurried away from him. She expected to see blood on her shoulder.

But there was no sign of harm or anything else. She was speechless.

Oliver lowered his hands. He showed no awareness of Tomas as the latter gingerly got close, raised a cautious hand and pressed against him.

The hand disappeared inside Oliver as if he was a mist. Tomas quickly removed his hand.

Oliver began speaking. It was unclear whether he was talking to the others or himself.

"I kept running, just running and running, I didn't feel anyone touching me, I thought I was lucky, I had no idea, no idea until I stopped here and waited, I was tired so I leaned against the rock and I, I, I…"

"Passed right through it?" Tomas said quietly.

Oliver looked at Tomas, as if he had just noticed him. "It might," Tomas continued, "have something to do with that cloak you're wearing."

Oliver reached up and felt – this he could touch – a raised hood. It was connected to the gray cape draped over his shoulders and down his back.

His hand dropped to his side. His mouth was wide open.

"We're safe from the trees," Tomas assured him. "But…" He looked at his sword. He could see his reflection in the blade.

"…how we're safe scares me as much as anything else."

"Fear not."

A tall man stepped around the boulder. He was dressed in a red robe. Long white hair descended to his shoulders, and his wrinkled face was very kind.

"What you have are gifts," he explained. "They shall serve you well in this realm."

As he spoke, Ben set Charlie gently onto the ground. "Please forgive the abrupt way you gained your weapons," the man said, "and my unusual introduction. My name is Dungeon Ma…"

Ben charged at him. He pressed the mace handle against the other man's neck and shoved him against the boulder.

"What have you done with Dawn?!" he bellowed.

The man groaned, "Father was not welcomed like this."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ben, calm down!"

Ben was having none of it. He kept the older man squeezed against the rock. "You tell me everything right now!" he demanded.

"I…would be glad to," the older man gasped, "but please…release me."

"Not until you talk!"

"That's enough!" Tomas demanded. He grabbed Ben's shoulder with his free hand.

Ben spun with his arm swinging. His mace was on a course with Tomas' head. Tomas raised his sword just in time.

Mace and sword clashed. A high oscillating note sang from the contact of metal. Both young men felt a tingle over their whole bodies. The feeling was something more than the shock of physical impact.

Not that Tomas cared at the moment. He stumbled back and yelled, "You could have killed me!"

Ben released the old man. He couldn't speak for a few moments. Finally he said, "I…I wasn't…"

"He just meant to hit you, young knight," the newcomer said. He was brushing off his robe. "In his anger he forgot about his weapon."

"Oh, that makes me feel better," Tomas spat.

"Hm. The Knight has a point, Viking. You must always watch your strength – certainly now with your weapon."

Shame covered Ben's face. "I'm sorry, Tomas. Really."

Tomas wanted to reject the apology. It wasn't just this one mistake. His whole history with Ben had built up so much spite. At that moment he wanted to exploit this vulnerability and squash Ben.

Then he became aware of everybody looking at him. He saw their emotions – Kathy's unease, Oliver's nervousness, Charlie's desperate need not to see the older boys fight.

And then there was the man in the robe. He was intently watching Tomas. The Hispanic teenager had a feeling that he was being tested.

He had an important choice here – give in to his spite or do something better. He decided the latter, but he had to take a breath before committing himself.

"Don't worry about it," he finally told Ben. "A lot has happened in the last hour and we're all…well, we're just who we are."

Ben sighed. "Thanks, ami…thanks, Tomas."

Tomas faced their visitor. "Ben still has a point. You seem to know what's happening. Tell us."

The man nodded. "I shall. As I was going to say…my name is Dungeon Master."

"What?" Oliver said. "Are you serious?"

"Perfectly."

"You mean, like the game?"

"Somewhat. That game of your world is an echo of this one."

"And this world is…?"

"We call it the Realm. And you have been drawn into it."

"How?" Tomas asked.

Dungeon Master stroked his beard. "That is difficult to explain. Let us say that the Realm draws in certain people for…special reasons."

"What about you? You call yourself Dungeon Master…"

"Because I am."

"Doesn't that make you the man in charge around here?"

"I can be that at times. I can also be a mere observer. For the moment, I am a guide and a helper." He indicated Tomas' sword. "Your weapon is an example of my help, Knight."

"Back up," Ben said. "Why do you keep calling him 'Knight?'"

"That title is another of my gifts."

Ben frowned. "You called me Viking."

"That is your title. The mace is your weapon." Dungeon Master turned to Oliver. "You are now the Spy."

"That's just dandy," Oliver muttered. "And I get the idea of this cloak. But how do I turn it off?"

"Lower your hood."

Oliver couldn't believe it was that simple. However, he lowered the hood to his shoulders. Then he tried another poke at Kathy's shoulder. He was relieved to hear her say "Ow!"

"Cool," Oliver said. He pointed his thumb at Kathy. "What about her?"

Dungeon Master answered, "She is now the Witch."

Both Oliver and Kathy reacted with open mouths. However, she was just shocked. Laughter burst from his lips. "Oh, great!" he chortled. "That almost makes up for everything else!"

"Will you shut up?!" Kathy growled at him.

"The amulet is," Dungeon Master continued, "your weapon, young Witch. With it you can cast spells…"

Oliver bent forward, overcome with laughter. Dungeon Master was puzzled. "What is the matter?" he asked.

"Never mind him," Kathy said. "Why did you give me this?"

"You will need it to defend..."

"I mean, why me? I only got it to work by accident."

"Magic, as you'll find, is a difficult thing to master. But the Realm has decreed you a witch. It must sense your latent abilities."

Kathy began to protest, but decided against it. Oliver eventually stopped laughing.

"What about me?" Charlie asked.

Dungeon Master knelt before the boy. Regret was briefly visible on his face, but he covered it with a smile. "You, my child," he said, "are the Shepherd. You have already seen an example of what you can do."

"You mean, control insects?" Ben said.

"Not control. He can sense not just insects, but animals of all kind. He can talk with them."

"I did that," Charlie said as if remembering a dream. "I was…with them. I could hear their thoughts."

"And you convinced them to attack the Kulls."

"What? Oh, those trees."

"That was a sample task. It takes little to convince an insect to chew on wood. Other times you must be respectful and cautious. Most animals do not give their allegiance easily."

Charlie heard this and nodded. Tomas briefly forgot about what had been happening. He just saw a nice man giving wisdom to a child.

But questions demanded answers. "You still haven't explained why we're here," Tomas said.

Dungeon Master sighed. "Because…" He stood. "Well, I am not completely sure why. I only know there is a precedent."

"You mean, this has happened before?"

"Over two decades ago in your world's time, six young people went on that same ride you chose. Six young people were brought into the Realm. Eventually…" Dungeon Master paused, his eyes distant. "…they rid this world of a great evil. Perhaps you have been chosen to…"

"Excuse me."

"Yes, Viking?"

Tomas saw the angry look in Ben's eyes. Ben was restraining himself, but it was hard. Tomas didn't blame him. Nobody did. They had heard the same word.

"Can you count?" Ben wondered.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You said 'six.' Look around you. Are there six people here?"

Dungeon Master did as Ben ordered. The stunned look on his face was not comforting.

"No," he whispered. "This can't be. He can't already be so powerful…"

Ben tightened his grip on the mace. "Who? Who can't be so powerful?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two things were the same – she was wearing the same clothes, and she couldn't hear a sound.

Everything else was different. The dirty stone walls were different. The cold floor was different. The bars on the single window and the closed oak door were different. The manacles around her wrists and the chains holding her were also new.

Her fear – that wasn't quite new. She had been feeling it ever since the park ride had gone insane. This location felt almost right in its madness.

She looked around her cell. Nothing helpful was in reach, even if she could free herself. She could only pray that the others were safe.

_No. They're not._

Her whole body went off like a spring. The chains made her regret the sudden movement, but she couldn't help it.

_Well, this is a first. You have never heard a voice before, haven't you?_

She remained standing. Her eyes twitched left and right.

_How strange must this be to you. It may be stranger than anything else that has happened so far. You could only call that 'ironic.'_

The experience was indeed jarring. Equally disconcerting was that her womb of silence remained intact. She was not hearing anything in the cell, but a voice in her mind.

_In fact, you wouldn't be able to understand a normal voice, if you could hear one right now. That is also ironic as well. But you know what's the greatest irony of all._

A shape formed itself in front of her. It seemed to pulling shadows and sculpting them.

She lowered herself to the floor and wrapped her arms around her legs. A body and a face were rising before her.

_The greatest irony of all is…_

The face was complete. As she looked at its amused expression, she wondered if her sanity had snapped. The next words she heard made insanity seem preferable.

_…that the first voice you hear…belongs to the one who will kill you._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He calls himself The Terror."

"There's a subtle name," Oliver said.

"Shut up, Oliver," Ben ordered.

"No one knows where The Terror came from," Dungeon Master explained. "However, he has been steadily amassing power in the Realm. He already controls the Singing Marshes and the Canyons of Yanday." He paused and then said, "Not that this would mean anything to you."

Ben said, "I only care that he has Dawn. How did that happen?"

"The abduction must have occurred as I guided you across the astral borders. But The Terror should not have…"

"Whoa. 'Guided?'"

"The Realm opened the portal that brought you here. However, I had the ability to place you in the safest location."

"Safest location!" Ben sputtered. "You dropped us in the middle of a killer forest!"

Dungeon Master looked at Ben. The expression in his eyes gave the belligerent youth pause. They spoke of a knowledge difficult to acquire and ever harder to bear.

"If I had left you to the natural forces of the Realm," he said quietly, "you would have experienced much worse. The Realm likes to…test newcomers."

Tomas chose to speak up. "If that's the case, then thank you. But that doesn't explain what happened to Dawn."

Unease returned to Dungeon Master's face. "The Terror must have changed her path and brought her to his domain. He must have known of your coming. But this…" He shook his head. "…is most worrisome. He has already learned how to counteract my power."

"Not completely," Tomas observed.

"No. He could only take one of you." He looked at Ben's tense face. "That could be just the one he needs."

"For what?" Ben asked.

"For a trap," Tomas said simply.

The other youths looked at Tomas, then at Dungeon Master. The old man was nodding. "He wants you to attempt a rescue. He wants to lure you into his domain."

Without hesitation Ben asked, "Where's that?"

Dungeon Master sighed. Tomas warned, "Ben, you heard him."

"I heard that this whoever, this Terror has Dawn. If he wants to pick a fight with me…" He made a show of his mace. "…I got plenty of fight to spare."

"I do not doubt your resolve, Viking," Dungeon Master said. "It's your chances that are doubtful – very doubtful."

"Tell him that." Ben pointed at the little boy. And Charlie looked just like a little boy should – frightened and confused.

Sadness welled in Dungeon Master's eyes. "Young shepherd…this is difficult for you to understand, but…"

"Can't you rescue her?" he begged. "You brought us here, why can't you bring her here?"

"It's not that simple…"

"Let's put it this way," Ben interrupted. "_Will_ you help us? 'Cause I don't think that Dungeon Master title is just a put-on. You got power. You just won't use it."

Dungeon Master closed his eyes. He spoke the following words as if they pained him. "There are rules I must obey."

"So you won't help us. Good to know. Just point us in the right direction and we'll take care of The Terror."

The white-haired man opened his eyes and raised his hands. "Listen to me! If you attempt this now, you're only throwing your lives away! You cannot defeat…"

"Sir?"

Tomas was speaking now. Dungeon Master turned to him, blinking once.

"Our friend is in danger," Tomas said calmly. "We have no choice but to try." He turned to the others. "Agreed?"

Charlie nodded quickly. "Agreed," Kathy said. Oliver took a few moments before clearing his throat and saying, "Yeah, let's roll."

Tomas faced the Dungeon Master. The latter's hands dangled limply at his sides. "Then," he sighed, "is this to be your first quest?"

"Looks like it."

"Very well. Then you shall need this…" Dungeon Master reached into one of his wide sleeves and pulled out a scroll. "It will guide you to The Terror's domain – the Citadel of Iron."

"Thank you," Tomas said. As he accepted it, Dungeon Master gave him a look. He had the sudden feeling that he was making a horrible mistake. The feeling would not leave him for many days.

Dungeon Master turned to Charlie. "This is for you, Shepherd." He pulled another object from his sleeve. "Give it to your sister if you…when you meet her."

Charlie studied it. He saw nothing but a wooden flute with five holes. "What's it for?" he asked.

"Your sister will know. And now, my young pupils, remember this…"

As he spoke, he walked toward the boulder. "Evil always expects the worst from others."

Then he moved behind the rock. He could be heard muttering, "I hope that satisfies you, father."

"Hey!" Ben called out. He strode toward the boulder's other side. "What did you mean by…"

The others saw him abruptly stop. He looked around him. Then he grumbled, "Well, he's gone."

"That," Oliver said, "is actually the most normal thing that's happened today."

"If you mean him bailing on us," Ben said, "then you're right. I knew this guy wasn't to be trusted."

"I don't know," Kathy said. "He did give us these weapons."

"And now we're going to use them." Ben walked toward Tomas. "What's the map say?"

Tomas unfolded the scroll. He saw a drawing of a long path. At one end was a mark that resembled the boulder.

"This is where we start," he said, pointing at the mark. "And this is where we're going." He indicated the other end of the map. Here was a drawing of a castle. The words 'Citadel of Iron' were written under it. Even as a small symbol, its dark color and sharp towers were ominous.

He looked at the road ahead of him. He could see nothing but an uninhabited plain on both sides.

Then he rolled up the map. He tucked it under a belt around his tunic. He noticed that he had a scabbard for his sword. He sheathed his weapon.

"All right," he said. "If we're going to do this, we better start walking."

"Uh," Oliver said, "at the risk of being told to shut up, I want to say – I'm hungry."

Tomas smiled a little. "I've been thinking the same thing. We're not going to make it to the Citadel tonight, so we better…"

"What about Dawn?" Charlie asked.

Tomas looked at him and gently said, "She'll be fine until we get there. If she's bait, then The Terror needs her alive."

Charlie swallowed and then nodded.

"So, for the moment, we can concentrate on food and shelter."

"And killer trees," Oliver muttered.

"Yes. That as well."

He took a breath. He faced the road.

He made the first step.

He kept going.

Ben looked at the other teenager's back. A familiar suspicion flashed in his eyes. Then he raised Charlie and let him ride on his shoulders. Charlie tucked the flute under the knotted rope holding up his pants. They followed after Tomas.

Oliver turned to Kathy. "Well, witch…"

"Don't call me that."

"Look, you're the one with the magic amulet. If you can conjure up a hamburger, I'll call you anything you want."

He joined the walking party. Kathy raised the amulet and looked at her reflection in the crystal.

Then she let it dangle. "Lord help me," she whispered.

All five were now following the road. And following them was a steel bird.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_They're coming to rescue you. Most wonderful._

Dawn shivered at the pleasure in his voice. She looked away from him, but could not stop hearing him.

_Of course, it's why the Realm picked them – why it picked you. Your hearts are good, and your character is noble. You're just the kind of people who would brave overwhelming odds for the sake of a friend._

A hand touched her chin. She was forced to look at her captor.

_But the trouble with overwhelming odds is that…well, they're overwhelming. When they reach the Citadel, their defeat is inevitable. Their blood shall be mine._

He released her chin, but she didn't look away from that taunting smile.

_It's possible that Dungeon Master could intervene, but he is bound by the rules. Not that it matters. Deep down he knows…I can play his old game better than him._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Duh-duh-duh…duh-duh-duh…duh-duh-DAH…duh-duh-DAH…duh-DAH…"

Oliver had been bouncing down the road on one leg and pretending to play a guitar. Now he stood up straight, held an imaginary microphone and squealed, "No stop signs, speed limits/ Nothing's gonna slow us down…"

"Shut up, Oliver," Ben said.

"Hey." Oliver flicked the hood over his head. "When I'm wearing this, you can't do a thing to me." Then he looked down at the ground. "Huh. Why don't I fall through?"

"Hm?" Tomas responded, not paying much attention.

"Well, if I'm pass-throughable…"

"Insubstantial," Kathy muttered behind Oliver.

"Whatever. If I go right through things, how come I don't fall through the earth?"

"Because somebody hates us."

He glanced back at Kathy. "Har-har-har. No, seriously. I should be…oh, that's it."

"That's what?" Ben grumbled.

"I'm not leaving any footprints. See? It's like I'm floating off the ground just a little bit. In fact, I'm not making any sound as I walk. Funny because I can feel the ground." He knelt and tried to press his hand into the road. "Yeah, there's some kind of resistance. It's real soft, but it's there." He stood and joined the others. "I wonder if this cloak can protect me from long falls. By the way, I'm still hungry."

Oliver's abrupt last sentence almost made Tomas sigh. He restrained himself and said politely, "I know. We all are. But I'm sure we'll find food if we keep going."

"Yeah, well, around here a pizza could take a bite out of you. What about you, Kathy?"

"What about me?" Kathy said.

"Have you gotten that thing to work yet?"

Kathy looked down at the amulet. "I don't think I should even try."

Oliver suddenly halted and turned to her. "Oh, come on!"

Ben and Tomas stopped as well. They listened wearily to the following argument.

"Don't start being Miss Good Little Christian!" Oliver snapped.

Kathy's temper rose. "This isn't about me being a Christian!"

"Come on! You won't use that amulet because you think God wouldn't approve!"

"God would not approve of me using things I don't understand!"

"Then try to understand. Our lives could depend on it. Or do you think being a Christian is more important than us being alive?"

Kathy balled her hands into fists. "Listen – don't make this about me being a Christian and I won't make it about you being an idiot!"

Oliver was ready with a sharp retort, but then Ben said, "Hey." His voice was soft, but just a bit threatening.

Kathy and Oliver looked at him. He indicated the child sleeping on his shoulders. Ben was holding his staff for him.

"Let him sleep," Ben said. It wasn't a request.

Both Kathy and Oliver looked guilty. Tomas decided to mediate. "Oliver," he said gently, "has a point. You were given that amulet for a reason, Kathy. Its power could save our lives. You have...a Christian duty to use it."

Kathy sighed and then nodded.

"And, Oliver? Don't be an idiot."

Oliver started to protest, but he couldn't stand up to the combination of Tomas and Ben, even in an untouchable state. He could only look away from them and toward the landscape.

Speaking of which, that had changed awhile ago. The healthy field had decayed into hard, fruitless dirt. The four suns were getting close to the horizon and leaving a gray pall on an already grim land. According to the map, this area was called the Long Wilderness.

"Now let's keep going," Tomas said.

That's just what they did, but with little spring in their step. Under his breath Ben continued to warble AC/DC tunes.

The steel bird flew overhead and kept a watch over them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They heard the music first. The thumping of drums and the stroke of a violin's bow made a strange yet welcome sound. The travelers paused to make sure their ears weren't deceiving them. Then they chased after the music.

It led them away from the path and toward a cliff. At the edge of the cliff they could see another plain devoid of plants but not of people. Eight covered wagons had formed a circle. A campground had been established in that circle.

Those at the cliff's edge couldn't quite see the others below them. The suns had almost dropped out of sight, and the sky was a thick blue turning into black. Yet there were undoubtedly people in the campground, and the music remained inviting.

"Well?" Ben asked.

Tomas realized that he was being addressed. "You want to know what I think?"

"Yeah." Ben's voice was flat.

"I think we've walked far. I think we're all hungry and tired. I think we should take a chance here…but watch ourselves."

Ben nodded.

"Anybody see a path going down?"

"Yeah," Oliver said. "Right over there."

As they started on the downward path, Ben nudged Charlie. The little boy awoke, muttering "What…?"

"Looks like we'll be taking a break, little man."

He handed Ben his staff. He felt the boy sitting up straight. Charlie was excited and hopeful. Ben wanted him to be so. At the same time, he reached down and touched the mace dangling from his belt.

They reached the bottom of the cliff. They walked toward the caravan. When they got halfway there, the music stopped. They saw faces staring at them around the edges of the wagons.

"Just keep going," Tomas said.

They did so until a man stepped out of the campground. He was a strong-looking fellow. His clothes suggested a medieval farmer. The sheathed knife on his belt suggested other things.

"Hello, strangers," he said. It was a courteous expression, but that's all it was. Just courteous.

Tomas stopped. So did others. Fifteen feet separated them from the camp. The distance felt both faraway and too close.

"Hello," Tomas responded. Unlike Ben, he tried to keep his hands away from his weapon.

"What brings young ones such as you into the Wilderness?" the man asked.

"He speaks English," Oliver muttered. "How convenient."

Tomas ignored him and told the man, "It's a complicated story. What's simpler to tell you is that we've been walking for awhile and…"

"You need food."

"Yes, sir."

The man studied Tomas and his companions. As he did, Ben rubbed his thumb on the mace handle.

"I'm afraid," the man eventually said, "we must watch our supplies carefully. We are on a long journey of our own."

Tomas noted the other faces looking at him. He saw grim adults and nervous children.

"I understand," he said," but is there any way you can part with a little food?"

"It depends on what you have to trade."

"Ah…not much."

"I see you have weapons."

Tomas glanced down at his sword. Ben tightened his grip on the mace.

"Yes," Tomas said carefully, "but they're not for sale."

"Of course. However, that means you have nothing to…"

The man became quiet and stared at something behind Tomas. The latter turned. He found Charlie pointing his staff toward the caravan. Its golden aura had returned. So had the dreamy look to Charlie's face.

Before anyone could ask what he was doing, the horses emerged from the campground. The caravan riders gasped and pointed.

Their leader watched the horses form a line. He faced Tomas, his expression building in anger. He said, "So, is this your bargain? You take our horses, or else we give you food?"

Tomas sputtered, "We're not…Charlie, what is this?"

Charlie didn't answer. His attention was entirely on the eight horses.

He pointed the staff upwards.

The eight horses reared on their hind legs. Everybody automatically stepped back from them.

Instead of coming back down, the horses showed considerable strength and turned to each other. One horse would place its hooves against the hooves of a companion. That way they could balance each other.

Charlie made a circle with the staff. And the horses started to dance. No other description could suffice. It was a slow, careful dance, but a dance nevertheless.

The children were the first to react openly. Some laughed, others expressed awe. They left the protection of the wagons to get a better look. The adults were more hesitant. They tried to restrain the children, but the latter were too charmed.

The adults realized that they were charmed as well. They joined their children in enjoying this waltz.

Charlie motioned downwards. The horses gently lowered themselves to the ground. They faced their audience.

They bowed. Cheers and applause were their reward.

The caravan's leader listened to this happy sound. Then he crossed the final steps between him and Tomas. His expression had softened.

"It has been," he said, "a long time since I heard joy in this caravan, especially among the children." He smiled. "That is certainly worth a meal and a place to rest."

He extended a hand. Tomas threw Charlie a gratified look and shook the other man's hand.

"My name is Tomas."

"I'm Jerod. Are you the leader, Tomas?"

"I suppose I am."

Ben bit his tongue. Charlie blinked twice, noticed the applause and said, "Did I do something again?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It wasn't the best food, but stew and vegetables sure tasted good after that long walk. Tomas and the others were also glad to be welcomed into the caravan. Charlie got the most attention from the children. They all wanted to know how he did the thing with his staff. He could only shrug and say, "I just did it."

Oliver's cloak trick was also popular with the children. "Go ahead," he encouraged them. "Touch me." They were amazed to see their hands pass right through him.

"Be careful," Kathy warned. "If that hood slips off when they're touching you…"

"Don't mind her," he told the children. "She has dedicated herself to killing fun. It's part of her religion."

Kathy growled inside her throat. That's when the amulet lit up.

Before the startled eyes of the children and Oliver…Oliver appeared. A duplicate of him was now standing before them.

This duplicate had certain differing characteristics. For starters, his head had vanished. The duplicate turned around and showed where it went.

The children's shock turned into out-of-control laughter. Oliver's face had been moved to his butt. The real Oliver was dumbfounded for a moment. Then he rolled his eyes and said, "Okay, funny, Kathy. Real funny. Now turn it off."

The illusion didn't go away. The children kept laughing.

"That's enough, Kathy. Just make it go…"

The misshaped duplicate belched out of his mouth. The children were rolling on the ground.

"Kathy!"

She was barely holding back her own laughter. "Don't try to kill the fun, Oliver."

While this was happening, Tomas was seated near a campfire with Jerod. Ben was also there. They were at the very center of the camp. Stars had overtaken the sky.

"So," Jerod said, "what has brought you into the wilderness?"

Tomas paused to wipe a chunk of bread across his bowl. Ben watched the other teenager as he said, "We're looking for a friend. Her name is Dawn."

"Perhaps I have seen her."

"Not likely. In fact, you seem to be going the opposite direction of where we're going."

"You will see many more like us. We're all trying to escape The Terror."

Ben and Tomas looked at each other. Then Ben asked, "We've heard about The Terror, but we know little about him."

"There is little to know, other than that the armies of The Terror bring pain and cruelty with them."

Jerod picked up a stick and began poking the logs on the fire. His anger was noticeable, despite his restraint. Tomas hesitated before saying, "I understand he hasn't been around for long."

"No. His rise to power was quick. I daresay not even Dungeon Master knows his origins."

"Ain't it the truth," Ben muttered.

"What is that?"

"He was wondering," Tomas said, "if you've ever met Dungeon Master."

Jerod smiled a little. "Me? No. Very few do."

"We were wondering…why doesn't he just fight The Terror directly?"

"That's never been the way of Dungeon Master. It wasn't his father's way, either."

"Yes, his father," Tomas said. "I heard Dungeon Master mention him. Who was he?"

"Why, he was Dungeon Master before him." Jerod raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know about his father? You must be quite young then."

"Ah…yes. Too young to be out here, in fact."

"But you are still here."

"Not out of choice."

"There are always choices to make." Jerod looked at the caravan riders and sighed. "Unfortunately, we have chosen to run instead of fight." He looked to Tomas. "What will you choose?"

Tomas was surprised by the question, but Ben had an answer. "If it's for Dawn's sake," he said quickly, "then we'll fight."

Tomas wanted to say that Ben didn't speak for the group. However, he kept silent as Jerod nodded his approval.

"Then perhaps," the caravan leader said, "I shouldn't be telling my story. I should tell you an inspiring one."

He stood, spread out his arms and called, "Gather around me! All of you come here! Listen to the Tale of The Six!"

His fellow travelers swiftly reacted. They stopped what they were doing and moved close to Jerod. Kathy, Oliver and Charlie moved with the crowd, even though they didn't know what was happening.

The people sat down. They waited expectantly for Jerod to speak.

"This is a tale of long ago," he said. "I was not yet a man then. I was even younger than this fellow." He indicated Tomas. "That era was a dark one, just as ours has become. Those who remember that time know the truth of what I say."

The older folk nodded.

"There were many scourges and villains besieging the Realm in those days. Back then good people feared at their very names – names like the Beholder, the Nightwalker, Queen Sirith, Warduke, Kelek. However, one name stirred more fear than any other. What was that name?"

The answer came clear and firm, not just from the adults but from the children who had obviously heard this story many times. They spoke two syllables with such gravity that Tomas and his companions felt a chill.

_"Venger_."

"Yes. Venger. Darkness was his companion, and evil was his work. Many champions fell to his might. Many innocents suffered at his hands. His shadow threatened to cover the whole realm. But then…"

Jerod paused. He glanced at Tomas. The teenager wondered about the meaning of that look.

"…six heroes entered the Realm from another world. They were young people with no experience of battle. Yet they proved to be the mightiest of champions and the most valiant of warriors."

He paused again. Then he boomed –

"Who were they?!"

With a single great response his people answered –

"THE SIX!!"

"Who freed the captives from the Prison of Agony?!"

"THE SIX!!"

"Who destroyed the Maze of Darkness?!"

"THE SIX!!"

"Who defeated the Nightwalker?!"

"THE SIX!!"

"Who banished Queen Sirith?"

"THE SIX!!"

"And who lifted the shadow of Venger from our land?!"

"THE SIX!!"

Tomas looked to his young companions. They obviously shared his unease. Dungeon Master had mentioned another group who had been drawn into the Realm. If these people thought so highly of 'The Six,' then what would they expect from…

"Now here we are," Jerod continued. "Another great shadow is spreading over our homes and our sanctuaries. Our defenders fall one by one to it. Death is the only reprise for the innocent."

He wasn't looking at the newcomers, but they couldn't help feeling that his next words were for them. "We need new champions. We need people who will face this darkness and say 'No more.' We need heroes with the means of conquering this evil and the strength to do it. We need…The Six."

"The Six. The Six. The Six." The audience repeated this in whispers. Tomas dragged his fingers across the ground.

Jerod allowed those words to be repeated several times. Then he raised his hands for silence. "Darkness cannot exist without light. We must have faith that the Realm will see light again. One tale ended happily. May this one end happily as well."

"Amen," Kathy whispered. Tomas thought the same word, but didn't speak it.

The audience dispersed after the story. They were comforted by the tale, and they sorely needed comfort. Jerod looked down at Tomas.

"It is a story we tell often," he explained. His voice was mild. His eyes, however, seemed to look straight into Tomas' mind.

Tomas just nodded.

Jerod held a breath and released it as a sigh. "May it help all of us sleep well tonight. Good dreams to you."

He headed toward one of the wagons, leaving his young visitors near the fire. Tomas examined again the faces of his companions. And, again, they were thinking the same thing – they were not ready to bear the weight of this legend. They just wanted to rescue their friend; they just wanted to get home; they just wanted to survive.

They also wanted to sleep. They managed to do so on that night, but their dreams were not good.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_You know, Dawn, I want them to reach the Citadel. I really do. I want the pleasure of killing them myself._

_On the other hand, we can't make it too easy for them. Can we?_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

They met each other through the National Honor Society. Tomas couldn't help feeling a little chagrined by the sheer predictability of that. He had admitted as much to Christine. Just as predictably she had found it funny.

"Why should that bother you?" she had asked with a smile.

"It's just…everything in my life is tied with being a success."

She couldn't help laughing. "So you want failure?"

"No, I just…I…"

She had patted his hand. "It's all right. I understand."

Which she did. It's one of the reasons why he dated her. She sympathized with his doubts. In fact, she was the only one who ever heard his doubts. She listened to him question the value of everything in his life – his good grades, his involvement in many clubs and charities, his trustworthy reputation, his status. She heard his grumblings about being the "Good Hispanic." She even let him wonder out-loud whether he had unintentionally made her – the white girlfriend – just another symbol of success.

Just about every time she had the same response. She would say, "Let's go have some fun." And it would always be the right idea.

Fun was the reason why they went to the amusement park. Fun was had. Fun was the merry-go-round and throwing rings at bottles and eating cotton candy and feeling the sunshine.

Fun wasn't running into Ben. Tomas saw the big teenager first. He and Christine had just left the bumper car ride. They were holding hands. Ben was also holding hands with a girl – a girl with dark curly hair. His companion hadn't yet seen Tomas and Christine. The two young men had a moment to stare at each other. Neither was sure how to react.

Then Christine saw the others and caught the potential for a fight. She called out with her best friendly voice, "Hey, Ben!"

Ben and Tomas quickly weighed the pros and cons of 'getting into it.' They decided that present company didn't make it a good idea. So Ben responded with a nod, "Hey, Christine."

That's when the other girl saw Christine. She smiled and waved. Christine motioned for her to come over.

The dark-haired girl noticed Tomas and did her own weighing. She decided that today should be peaceful, so she headed toward Christine and gently pulled along Ben. This brought along the little boy holding Ben's hand. The child also had dark curly hair. He was the only one unaware of the temporarily diffused tension.

Christine released Tomas' hand. She used both of her hands to make symbols. The dark-haired girl removed herself from Ben and smoothly responded with her own hand gestures. As their fingers danced in the air, Ben and Tomas consciously didn't look at each other. Tomas' eyes fell upon the boy. He forced a smile and asked, "How are you doing, Charlie?" The boy eagerly started to tell Tomas everything he had done so far in the park – the ferris wheel, the spinning cups, the raft ride, and so on.

Christine finished 'talking' with the other girl. She looked at Tomas and interrupted Charlie's jabbering. "Dawn is asking us to tag along. Want to?"

No, he didn't. Ben didn't want that, either. However, both suspected that their wants didn't count for much.

So that's how the five of them ended up going through the park together. That's how they all of them ended up on the Dungeons and Dragons ride.

Almost all of them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She had waved at him, he didn't wave back, he should have waved back, but he was just a little irritated, a little annoyed that she left him stuck in a ride car with someone he hated, a little distracted so he just smiled, but he didn't wave, he should have waved, he should have said good-bye…

"Wake up."

Tomas fell from his dream of Christine and woke up in the place that should have been a dream. But it was real. He was still in a land full of monsters and wizards; still the possessor of a magic sword; still trapped with the guy he hated.

Ben was the one who awakened him. When he looked around him, Tomas realized that he should have been already awake, but a sound sleep had muffled the noise of running and cries of alarm. The caravan riders were in a panic. Jerod was trying to calm them.

Ben's grim face held an explanation to this confusion. However, Tomas still needed to hear him say –

"We're under attack."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were marching toward the camp and making a lot of noise. Their clanging got relentlessly louder. Ben and Tomas saw them through a gap in the wagon's circle. They were easier to hear than see, but the shine of metal was becoming apparent. Whoever was coming, there were six of them riding horses who shared their brass glare.

Jerod joined the two young men at their spot. "Who are they?" Tomas asked.

"Steelkin," Jerod answered grimly.

"The Terror's people, I'm guessing."

"Yes. And you cannot reason with them."

Tomas made no answer. He stepped out of the circle without drawing his weapon.

Ben snorted toward Jerod, "Yeah, but he's still gonna try." He left the circle, but he removed the mace from his belt. He went as far as Tomas did. Five feet separated them from the camp. Thirty feet separated them from the coming soldiers.

Then twenty-five.

Then twenty.

At fifteen the Steelkin halted. At this range Tomas could see that the horses were entirely covered with armor. The dark slits on the riders' helmets showed nothing.

Tomas kept his sword in its sheath. Ben slowly thumped the mace's handle against one palm. For a few seconds that was the only movement. It had become quiet in the camp, just as it was quiet on the other side.

Then three of the Steelkin lowered themselves from their horses. Tomas noticed that they moved a little stiffly. He attributed it to the weight of the armor.

They proceeded forward. Ben was ready to start smashing. However, he waited for Tomas to speak. Why am I doing that? he asked himself. He didn't have an answer, but he kept still anyway.

The Steelkin halted. They were now within a sword's length of the young men. Speaking of swords, they each had one attached to a leg of their armor. Metal clasps held them there.

Tomas still couldn't see anything of their faces. The slits remained dark.

He cleared his throat. He hoped his voice didn't crack when he spoke. Remarkably it didn't.

"You are not welcome here. Turn around and leave."

The Steelkin didn't move.

"We don't want to fight…"

"Sez you, amigo," Ben grumbled.

Tomas held back a rebuke to Ben. "I repeat," he told the soldiers, "turn around and…"

The Steelkin grabbed the hilt of their swords.

The clasps unhooked by themselves with a sharp click.

As one the Steelkin raised their weapons.

Tomas backed off, grabbing for his weapon. A Steelkin chased after him. Already prepared, Ben swung the mace as two swords descended toward his head. It cracked the swords into four pieces. The leftover edges missed him by a wide mark. Tomas managed to withdraw his sword just in time. He blocked the sword meant for him. The enemy's weapon didn't break, but it trembled noticeably.

From the corner of his eye he saw something spring. He retreated again, this time to avoid a spike. It had suddenly jutted from the wrist of the Steelkin's free hand.

The other two Steelkin dropped their swords. A spike extended from each of their wrists.

"Oh, clever," Ben said. He raised his mace like a baseball bat.

Tomas dodged another two blows, one from the sword and another from the spike. Then he made an attack of his own. He aimed for the Steelkin's blade, expecting to shatter it.

His aim was a little off. It went right through the Steelkin's wrist. Tomas went cold in his stomach. He expected a gory sight.

Instead he saw tiny wheels spinning and levers twitching. The stump looked like the insides of an exposed clock.

"They're machines!" Tomas yelled. "They're not people!"

Ben yelled back, "Like I care!" And he hadn't. He kept swinging at the Steelkin and daring them to attack. They held their ground, looking for an opening.

They saw one. They advanced with spikes aimed at Ben's chest and head.

They walked right into his mace. It went through their arms with two swoops. Elbows, hands and shoulders went flying in a dozen pieces.

Tomas went after the third Steelkin. With a few slices the machine's chest was opened. He saw a nest of twirling gears and bowing pulleys. That looks important, he thought before ramming his sword into it.

The machinery came to a halt. The Steelkin's arms dropped. Tomas let it slide off his weapon.

He was going to help Ben, but the other had matters in hand. He was bashing two soldiers into junk. One got scattered across the ground. The other fell to its knees. Ben lined up its head carefully and then knocked it off. It sailed upwards and landed at the feet of the horses.

The intact Steelkin made no reaction. Their cool response didn't deter Ben from marching forward and yelling, "You want some of this?! Huh?! Do ya?!"

"Come back!" a voice yelled. At first Ben mistook it for Tomas'. Then he realized that Jerod was shouting –

"They're not finished!"

He turned the camp, saying "What…?" Then he saw what Jerod meant.

The pieces of the Steelkin were rejoining each other. Metal was smoothing itself out, and gears snapped back together. The struck head rolled across the ground to its original neck. The three 'defeated' Steelkin were rising.

Ben quickly looked toward their horses. Their black eyes were upon him.

Those eyes turned red.

They charged.

He spun and headed straight for the two reforming Steelkin. One had his sword arm reconnected. It raised the weapon.

Ben held his mace straight ahead. It rammed into the Steelkin's chest and snapped the metal soldier's torso off its legs. Then he swung right and did likewise to the other Steelkin.

"Ben, duck!"

Tomas' warning came just in time. He heard the air whoosh as a sword went over his lowered head. He also heard trampling hooves.

The horses had broken ranks. They were now galloping around the camp. The three riders had their swords in hand, ready to split anything non-metal.

The twice-busted Steelkin were reshaping again. The third was already whole. Tomas had to fight off his opponent again while keeping an eye for a rider.

He tried a way to take care of both. He came low on the walking Steelkin and smacked his torso with the sword's flat end. The weapon knocked it backward into the path of a horse. Foot-soldier, horse and rider tumbled together in a wave of metal. It sounded like a dozen garbage cans being kicked down stairs. As Ben watched this he couldn't help saying, "Cool."

Not cool was the Steelkin once again reassembling. Not cool was being surrounded. Not cool was the realization that the enemy would keep coming.

Tomas and Ben made the same realization. They ran back to the wagons.

Within the campground fear dominated. Some people were running pointlessly; others were huddled on the ground; a few had drawn their own useless weapons. The children were just crying. The horses were neighing.

Jerod, for the moment, was keeping calm. Tomas and Ben rushed over to him. "How do we stop those things?" Tomas yelled.

Jerod pointed toward a barrel. All three men ran there. Jerod opened the barrel. It contained a black, oily substance. Jerod dipped a finger. When he pulled out his finger, a long strand clung to his skin. Even after the strand snapped, Jerod's finger was still slick and black.

"I get it," Tomas said. "Gum up the works."

"It won't stop them. Just give us time to escape."

"Then let's…"

The sound of metal hooves abruptly stopped. The silence on the outside brought a silence to the inside.

And then the clanking was heard again. The screaming followed quickly.

Tomas saw the Steelkin entering the campground. They had left behind their horses. Their swords were drawn, and their red eyes looked pitilessly at the men, women and children.

Tomas dipped his sword into the gunk. He grunted as he tried to pull it out. Ben gripped the hilt alongside him and helped to put it free. With his sword covered with the black substance, Tomas went after the nearest Steelkin. Jerod helped Tomas do the same with his mace.

While they attacked, the rest of their group tried to do something, anything. Charlie tapped his staff on the ground. He got no response.

"The bugs aren't helping!" he complained.

"That's because they don't eat metal!" Oliver shouted. "Find some other…"

He saw a boy right in the path of a Steelkin. The child stumbled and cried out, apparently from a twisted ankle. He tried to limp for safety, but the Steelkin was gaining.

What Oliver did next was simple instinct. He rushed to the boy, grabbed him and ordered, "Hold tight!" The Steelkin was right before them. Its metal sword descended just as Oliver raised his hood.

The sword passed through him and the boy. The Steelkin tried again, not understanding the problem. "Don't let go," Oliver warned the boy. The child clung tightly to him, needing no encouragement.

Oliver was glad his cloak could affect the boy. His gladness disappeared when he realized that he could only protect one person. There were dozens of unprotected children and, oh, no, Charlie…

Kathy had gotten separated from the others. She was lost among the panicked caravan folk and caught between the advancing Steelkin.

The amulet thumped against her chest. She looked down at its crystal face.

She grabbed it tight and stared hard at the crystal. Nothing happened.

"Come on, do something…" She gave it a shake. Still nothing. The metal soldiers got closer.

One of them got Tomas' sword in its chest. The Steelkin convulsed as Tomas tore his weapon free. It left a long sticky wound. He could hear the gears shriek inside the metal man. As the Steelkin twitched, Tomas saw victory close.

Then he saw it fade away. The chest of the Steelkin suddenly became red-hot; the gunk melted and dissolved; the gears ran efficiently again.

"It's not working!" Tomas yelled.

"I know, I know!" Ben shouted back. He could see gunk dissolving off another Steelkin he had hit.

Ben and Tomas were now in retreat, parrying blows from swords. Almost every human was being cordoned into an increasingly tight knot. The only ones on the outside were Oliver and the boy clinging to him. Oliver watched with horror, convinced that a slaughter was inevitable.

As the people crowded close to her, Kathy saw friends and strangers about to be killed. She also heard prayers to gods that she didn't recognize. All prayers were for deliverance.

Why should she have been any different? She pressed the amulet against her chest, closed her eyes and said –

"Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name…"

No human could move any further. Ben, Tomas and Jerod stood at the edge of the tight crowd. They had the grim look of men ready for a last stand.

"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…"

The Steelkin had formed a circle around the caravan riders. They studied the crying, desperate people at their mercy.

"Give us this day our daily bread…"

The amulet began to glow. Kathy didn't seem aware of this.

"…and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

The Steelkin raised their weapons. Tomas and Ben did likewise.

And so did Kathy. As if in a dream she was holding her amulet straight up.

"Lead us not into temptation…"

The Steelkin blades swung toward flesh…

"…and deliver us from evil…"

…and stopped in mid-air. Their intended victims saw a golden, transparent ball around them. It had caught the swords. The Steelkin could not free their weapons.

"…for thine is the kingdom and the power…"

Ben and Tomas turned. They watched Kathy with no little amazement.

"…and the glory forever. Amen."

A flash coincided with the prayer's end. All the humans were blinded for a few moments. When their eyesight cleared, they saw…

Nothing.

Tomas looked left and right. He spotted no metal soldiers. "Are they still here?" he called out.

"No," Ben said. "Looks like they're OW!"

Ben hopped on one foot. He was looking angrily downward. Tomas followed the other man's eyes.

He found one of the Steelkin. Only now it was four inches high. That didn't stop it from jabbing Ben's foot with its sword.

"You little…!" Ben gave the miniature soldier a kick. It flew ten feet before landing with the tiniest of thuds.

Tomas checked the ground. He saw the rest of the Steelkin. They had all been shrunk. At first, the caravan folk were stunned.

Then someone laughed. This was followed by another laugh and another one. The glee spread as the Steelkin absurdly continued their attack. The caravan folk took much pleasure in lifting them by their tiny legs and giving them a shake.

Ben checked the edges of the campground. The steel horses had also been miniaturized. He returned to the others and said, "We're okay now."

"Yes," Jerod sighed. "We are." He turned to Kathy. She was lowering the amulet. It had lost its glow. Her expression was dazed as she beheld what she had done.

"Thank you, sorceress," Jerod said.

"Actually," a voice chirped, "she's a witch."

"Oh. Well, thank you, witch."

Kathy's dazed look became a weary one directed at Oliver. He was approaching the others. He was smiling at Kathy.

A mother rushed forward to take the child from him. He began to hand him over, but her arms went through the boy. "Oops!" Oliver said. "Sorry." He set the boy down. Mother and child were able to touch each other.

Tomas told Kathy, "I want to thank you, too. You really saved our lives."

She looked at the amulet. "I don't know how I did that."

"However you did it, you did it. Good work."

"Yeah, but couldn't you have just blown them away?" That was coming from Ben. He was nursing his stung toe.

"Oh, come on, man," Oliver said. "Dig the irony."

Ben looked at the tiny Steelkin. They were now playthings of children who delighted in the way the soldiers put themselves back together after a good smashing.

The children reminded him of someone. "Charlie!"

"Here," the boy said. He squeezed past the others and headed for Ben.

"You all right?" the older boy asked, kneeling down.

"Yeah."

Ben saw Charlie's glum face and asked, "What's the matter?"

Charlie looked with disappointment at his staff. "I couldn't help anyone."

Ben grinned and ruffled Charlie's hair. "Oh, don't worry about it, pal. We seem to have all the bases covered. In fact…" He leaned forward. "…I bet we're gonna whup The Terror good."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Oh, I love the smell of overconfidence._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few hours after that battle, the sun rose. Tomas and his companions managed to get some sleep in that time. When he awoke, he found the caravan preparing to leave. He couldn't see Jerod, though. He got up and looked for him.

Jerod stood outside the camp. He had dug a hole. Tomas found him dropping the last of the Steelkin into it. Then Jerod started to bury them.

"Thought you would want to keep them," Tomas said with a smile. "You know, as toys for the children."

"They're still dangerous," Jerod responded, piling on more dirt. "They can lead more of The Terror's servants to us."

A thought occurred to Tomas. Guilt quickly followed it. "I have to apologize, sir," he told Jerod.

The caravan leader stopped and looked with surprise at Tomas. "For what?"

"The Steelkin…they came here because of us. Somehow we must have led them…"

Jerod placed a hand on Tomas' shoulder. "No," he said firmly. "They would have come anyway. Perhaps you quickened the inevitable, but you also made sure my people survived."

Tomas had no response to that. He wasn't completely convinced, but he knew Jerod was not the kind to show gratitude lightly.

Jerod removed his hand. A change came over his features. He now seemed…uncomfortable. Bashful.

"I would like," he said slowly, "to ask a personal question."

Tomas suspected what that question was going to be. He was tempted to say 'no,' but he decided that this moment called for honest answers.

"Go ahead."

Jerod kept glancing between Tomas and the ground. He didn't look like the man leading others through a wilderness. He looked like a boy hesitant to ask if there was a Santa Claus. Many seconds passed before he said --

"Are you…and your friends…The Six? The new Six?"

Tomas considered his answer long before he gave it. He examined his own feelings and the barely living hope of the man before him.

Then he said, "I don't know."

Jerod fixed his eyes on the young man's face. And Tomas was indeed young. Jerod couldn't forget that.

"But you come from the same world as The Six, don't you? And Dungeon Master gave you those weapons."

"Right. He told us the Realm had selected us for some reason. Whether it has to do with The Terror, I'm not sure." Tomas paused before adding, "But it's likely."

Jerod nodded. "It is not a task you wanted."

"No, sir, it's not. And I don't like our chances. As you can see, one of us is missing. She was kidnapped by The Terror when we first got here."

"So if you rescue her…"

"We'll be looking for the first exit out of the Realm."

"I understand. We all want to go home. But…know this. The first Six were like you. They just wanted to go home as well. They ended up doing much more."

"So I gather."

"As a child I lived in Turad when it was still under Queen Sirith's rule. I still remember the ringing bells that spoke of her fall. And I remember…" Jerod's face softened. "…seeing The Six when they left Turad. My people were singing their praises and throwing flowers. I saw them for just a moment on the streets, but that moment will forever stay with me."

Tomas grew uneasy. He had just heard of The Six yesterday, but he could feel their legend and Jerod's hope pressing on him like a weight.

Jerod sensed his unease. He broke away from his reverie and said, "I don't mean to burden you, but you should…understand."

Tomas cleared his throat. "True. If we know what they went through, maybe it will help us."

"Then I have an appropriate gift."

Jerod reached into a pocket of his tunic. He pulled out a small leather-bound book. "You heard the short version last night. This is the complete Tale of The Six."

"Thank you." Tomas accepted the book.

"And, of course, we will provide you food for your journey."

"Oh, no, you don't have to…"

"Please. We should pay tribute to the ones who meet the danger rather than flee it."

Tomas winced. "Sir, you're doing the only thing you can do."

"And soon we won't even be able to do that. The Realm is not infinite."

Both men looked at each other. They realized that this could be the last time they ever saw each other.

Tomas held out a hand. Jerod shook it. "Come," the latter said. "Time to be the leaders, as poor as we are."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Nice people," Ben said.

"Hmmm," Oliver concurred through a stuffed mouth.

"Oliver, ease up on those nuts. We still got a way to go."

Oliver swallowed. "Hey, don't worry. Now that Kathy has got her thing working, she can make food…"

"For the last time," Kathy said, "I don't know how to control this thing."

"Look, if you can change the bad guys into action figures, then you can make a pizza. I bet someone in the old Six could do it."

Ben glanced at Oliver, knowing the goofy young man had a point. Then he said, "What do you think, Tomas?"

"Hm?" Tomas looked back at the other man. Charlie was riding again on Ben's shoulders. Far behind their group was the caravan. It was getting smaller in the distance.

"This whole thing about The Six. Are we really supposed to be their replacements?"

Tomas felt the small leather book inside his tunic. He turned and looked at the path still stretching for miles ahead.

"Let's rescue Dawn first," he said. "Later for everything else."

Ben was a little puzzled by Tomas' reaction, but he shrugged.

They all kept going.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jerod looked behind him. He could barely see the five young ones. The horses pulled the caravan further ahead.

He hadn't told Tomas everything about his memory of The Six. As he said, that moment could have happened an hour ago, not decades. He still could remember the dashing Ranger smiling at the grateful people; the blushes of the pretty red-headed Thief; the little Barbarian strutting with his club over a shoulder and his unicorn skipping alongside him; the Magician's eyes blinking behind his glasses; the Cavalier shouting things like "Thank you, thank you! Who you gonna call? Demon Queen-Busters!"

But more than anything else, he remembered the dark-skinned Acrobat. So beautiful she had been. And so sad. Even to a child and even amongst all that joy, her sadness was visible like a single bright star.

He looked away from these new young ones. He hoped that they would never know such grief. However, if the Realm needed their blood to wash away the darkness, then their blood must be given.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Wilderness ended. The Mountains of Drashua began. Oliver looked at their steep slopes and distant peaks. "Please tell me we don't have to go over that."

Tomas kept forward. Oliver sighed and followed him with the others. Fortunately the map directed them to a usable path. That still meant they had to crawl as often as they walked and clutch the ground as the path became nearly a straight vertical line. Then they would have to turn sideways as the path narrowed to claustrophobia-inducing space. When they reached one such section Oliver declared, "Hey, wait. I can just…"

He reached for his cloak's hood. "Don't," Ben told him. He was currently squeezing through the narrow section. Charlie was walking sideways next to him and holding the older boy's hand.

"What?" Oliver complained.

"Wait until we get through. I don't want you going through us. No telling what could happen."

"Come on. Don't you trust me?"

Ben gave him a look. Oliver grimaced, but waited until the other two went through the space. Then he casually pulled up his hood and slowly walked straight ahead. His shoulders and thighs passed through the rock.

"Scroooooge," he said. "I am the ghooooost of Jacob Marrrrley."

"Quit fooling around," Tomas told him. "We got a lot of ground to cover, and night is coming."

"Everybody gives me grief," Oliver muttered. However, he picked up the pace. The five young travelers continued ahead.

Not for long, though. The sky soon darkened, but not because of nightfall. As the first raindrops fell and marked the dry rocks, Oliver said "Perfect. Just perfect."

"Come on," Tomas said. "Maybe there's some shelter ahead."

"Maybe," Oliver echoed skeptically.

"What are you complaining about?" Ben said. "That cloak of yours is a great umbrella."

"Oh. Yes. Why, thanks for reminding me, Ben. I'll just…"

"Which is why you should give it to Charlie."

Oliver's mouth hung open. "That's all right," Charlie said, back on Ben's shoulders. "Oliver doesn't have to give it to me."

"I don't want you catching cold, my man. So, Oliver, you…"

"Dungeon Master gave the cloak to Oliver," Tomas said. "We have to assume it's for a reason. So he should hold onto it."

Ben stared hard at Tomas. Kathy tensed, expecting another fight.

Fortunately that's when the group turned a bend and Tomas spotted the opening of a cave. "Let's try that," he said.

The rain was getting heavier. The group quickly left the path and entered the cave.

They could see nothing. Tomas drew his sword. It glowed in his hand and pushed back the darkness. Ben did likewise with his mace. With enough light they could see a wide space bordered by curving rock walls.

They could also see the beginning of a tunnel. The darkness remained there.

Tomas took a few cautious steps into the cave. "Hello?" he called into the tunnel. "Anyone there?"

He waited for an answer, a sound, anything. He got nothing.

"Looks like we'll be all right," he said. The others didn't disagree. Ben and Tomas stuck their weapons into the ground, handle and blade down. Everyone sat on the ground, glad for a break.

An hour later they were still there. The rain continued to fall noisily. The cave had also chilled. The sword and mace glowed, but gave not warmth. Kathy had curled up on the ground, trying to nap. Ben was rubbing his bare legs while Charlie huddled next to him. "Of all the costumes," Ben grumbled, "I get the skimpy one."

Tomas made no reaction. He was busy reading the small book Jerod had given him. However, he did look up when Oliver said –

"I need to go."

"Go where?"

Tomas saw Oliver's pinched face. "Oh," he said.

Oliver stood and pointed at the tunnel. "I'll do it there."

"Why not do it outside?"

"Because, you know, it's raining."

"Then use your cloak."

"And what happens when I do a number one cloaked?"

"I…don't know."

"That's right. Who knows what would happen?"

Ben grumbled, "So now you're being cautious."

"It's not your bodily functions. Look, I'm going back there. Can I borrow your sword, Tomas?"

Tomas raised his eyebrows. "What did I say just awhile ago?"

"All right, all right." Oliver turned and stepped away from the weapon's glow.

"Be careful," Tomas warned.

Oliver grunted his response. He cautiously felt his way through the darkness. His feet nudged a few loose rocks, but he kept his toes unstubbed. He kept one hand on the wall until he felt a large space. No risk of a backwash here, so to speak.

He looked toward the cave's opening. The others were comfortably distant from him, and the shadows hid him well. He decided to do his business here.

He felt his pants. "Ah," he said. "No zipper. Of course."

He pulled down his pants. He aimed and fired.

As he did his thing, he noticed something odd. He wasn't hearing the expected sound of liquid hitting rock. It seemed to be hitting another kind of surface.

He shrugged it off and continued.

What he couldn't shrug off were the two luminescent eyes popping out of the dark. They were yellow and displeased.

Everybody else heard the yelp. Then they heard stumbling footsteps, the thump of a person falling and then more stumbling. Ben and Tomas plucked their weapons out of the ground.

Oliver emerged from the darkness. His eyes were wide, and he was struggling with his pants.

"What is it?" Tomas shouted.

Before Oliver could attempt an answer, they all heard new footsteps – heavier and moving to a different rhythm. It sounded like two people.

Ben and Tomas readied their weapons. Whatever was coming, they weren't running from it yet. When they finally saw it, they were tempted to reconsider.

It was the size of a bear, but it had a much longer neck and smooth scales instead of fur. The scales were red on most of its body, except for its golden underbelly. Its tail waved slowly left and right, like a whip ready to strike. Two yellow eyes watched the intruders from behind a long snout. On the other end were sniffing nostrils. Its mouth was open just enough to reveal teeth as big as bullets.

"I do believe," Ben said, "that's a dragon."

The creature looked over the five young people. It kept sniffing and looking at them suspiciously. Tomas noticed the gleaming moisture on its forehead.

"Oh, Oliver," he said. "Don't tell me you…"

"Forget what I did," Oliver quavered. "What is it going to do?"

"For starters," Ben said, "it should back off. Or I'll take this mace to…Charlie, no!"

The young boy paid no attention. He crossed the few feet between the others and the dragon. The staff was glowing.

Ben almost lunged toward him, but Tomas raised an arm and blocked him. Ben spun toward the other man, ready to break his nose.

"He's done it before," Tomas said calmly. "He can do it again."

Ben was still ready to break Tomas' nose. Then he remembered the insects and the horses. He looked at Charlie. That eerie calmness had again overtaken the child. Tomas had to struggle with his protective instinct, but he won over it.

Tomas had also defeated his protective instinct. His doubts remained, though. He remembered what Dungeon Master had said. The staff granted the ability to communicate, not control. What if the dragon didn't buy what Charlie was telling?

The others held their breath as Charlie gazed upon the dragon. His eyes weren't blinking. Neither were the dragon's. It kept snorting. The smell of sulfur was distinct.

Boy and dragon watched each other for a long time.

Then Charlie raised a hand. Ben and Tomas tightened their grip on their weapons.

Charlie touched the underside of the dragon's chin. He scratched it.

The dragon purred. It actually purred – a much deeper sound than a cat's purr, but still a sound of contentment. The more Charlie scratched, the more it purred.

Then it dropped to the ground and rolled on its back. Charlie scratched its golden belly. The dragon stretched its claws and flexed them in a sign of pleasure.

The staff lost its glow, but the dragon remained on its back. Charlie looked to his companions. He smiled.

"It's okay," he said. "He's friendly now."

As he watched the dragon submit itself to Charlie's fingers Oliver said, "You know, this is turning into the strangest week of my life."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rain hadn't let up. The five young ones had settled down to wait some more, only now with an extra companion.

"He got lost," Charlie explained as he stroked the dragon's neck. "The Terror chased his family out of their nests. He doesn't know where they are." He looked pleadingly at Tomas. "Can he stay with us?"

Before Tomas could answer, Oliver spoke up. "I stand by what I said about this week."

"Your point being?" Tomas asked him.

Oliver pointed a thumb at Charlie's new friend. "That's not a stray cat. You don't just adopt a dragon. Hence, the strangeness."

"Actually, it could make perfect sense." Tomas held up the little book. "According to this, The Six had a unicorn along with them. Maybe this is the updated version."

Oliver aimed a skeptical eye toward the dragon. The creature looked back at him, yellow eyes gleaming.

"Who exactly were these six people, anyway?" Kathy asked. "What were their names?"

Tomas flipped to the opening pages of the books. "Their names were – Hank the Ranger…"

"There's a nice Midwestern name," Oliver interrupted.

"…Bobby the Barbarian, Presto the Magician…"

"Again, very subtle."

"…Sheila the Thief, Eric the Cavalier and Diana the Acrobat."

"Acrobat? Who else was with them? Charlie the Clown?"

"No, you're our clown," Ben snapped.

"Anyway," Tomas said, "those were their names."

"What happened to them?" Kathy asked. "I mean, after they defeated Venger?"

"Ah…" Tomas skipped to the ending and read out-loud, "'So they left the Realm for their world, leaving behind an endless number of grateful people.' Of course, they didn't actually defeat Avenger."

"Huh?" Ben said.

"According to this book, Venger was this powerful wizard who turned to the dark side. And to make sure the change took, he…wait, let me check this…"

Tomas found the right page. "'He cut out the good that still struggled inside his heart and entombed it so that it may never make him hesitate on the path to evil.'"

"So The Six…did what exactly?"

"They found that good and unleashed it. It went back into Venger and…" He shrugged. "…and Venger repented for what he had done."

"So they didn't kill him. That's lame."

"Maybe. But here's something interesting – Venger is Dungeon Master's son."

That widened a lot of eyes and mouths. Then Oliver frowned and said, "Wait a minute. I saw this movie."

"Well," Tomas said, "Dungeon Master said our world picked up echoes of the Realm. Maybe George Lucas heard a few of them."

"Then maybe the Realm should sue for copyright. What I want to know is – what does this have to do with us?"

Tomas closed the book. "You know very well."

"Oh, you mean we could be the next Six?" Oliver snorted. "I sure didn't apply for this job."

"More importantly," Ben said, "one of us isn't here. That brings up another question."

He indicated the wooden flute that Charlie was still keeping. "What could Dawn possibly do with this? You know…considering…"

"I can't imagine. But Dungeon Master must have had his reasons."

"Dungeon Master," Ben grumbled. "What does he know? He can't even keep his own son in line."

Tomas wanted to say that many sons were hard to keep in line – that many young men turned bad. However, this was not the time to wind up Ben. So he said, "Nevertheless, these weapons have worked out fine for us. We'll see what Dawn can do with hers."

Ben shrugged. Tomas checked the rain. It was noticeably weaker than a few minutes ago.

"Looks like we'll be on the move soon," he observed.

"Can Blaze come with us?" Charlie asked.

"Who?"

Charlie indicated the dragon. "That's his name. Blaze."

"Oh. Well…a dragon could be useful. Can he breathe fire?"

Charlie looked at Blaze. His staff briefly glowed.

The dragon raised his snout toward the ceiling. It took a breath and then blew a small yet intense streak of fire. The cave was warm and bright for a moment. Everybody was impressed except for Oliver. He was merely nervous.

Tomas nodded. "Okay, then. Tell Blaze he can come."

Charlie relayed the message. Blaze looked at him. The dragon apparently responded because Charlie said, "He says he'll come, but you have to promise one thing."

"What's that?"

"He says 'The one in the cloak must be careful with his little meat.'"

Charlie spoke this with perfect innocence. The less-innocent teenagers, on the other hand…

"All right," Oliver grumbled. "Go ahead."

"Go ahead what?" Ben said sweetly.

"Laugh. Just laugh, already."

"Oh, no," Kathy said with equal sweetness. "We're saving that for later."

"Oh, please, just do it already. Just do it and…"

"What's 'little meat?'" Charlie asked.

The cave suddenly became full of chortles and guffaws. It stayed that way for awhile.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_It seems that Oliver has become the stooge of the group. I suppose every group needs one._

_These young folk present so many intriguing dramatic questions. Will Ben and Tomas overcome their differences? Will Kathy reconcile her beliefs with the power of her amulet? Can a dragon help a little boy save his sister from the clutches of an evil tyrant?_

_Answers – maybe, possibly and no. Oh, my, most definitely no._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rain finally ended. "Okay," Tomas said. "Let's get back on the road."

The five travelers started toward the cave opening. They all halted and turned when Blaze grunted deeply.

"What is it?" Charlie asked.

Blaze grunted again, motioning his head at the tunnel.

"Timmy fell down a well?" Oliver said.

"He's saying there's a better way," Charlie interpreted. "He says to follow him."

This offer was meant with uncertainty. "What do you think, Tomas?" Kathy asked.

"We're still new here," Tomas answered. "We can use a guide."

"Yeah," Oliver said slowly, "but, you know, he's a dragon."

"So?" Charlie said. His voice was indignant. Such outrage was rare from him. That one word shushed Oliver.

Ben slowly nodded. "You're right, Charlie. If you trust him, we can trust him."

"I agree," Tomas said

"So do I," Kathy chimed in.

"Well, okay," Oliver muttered.

Charlie turned to the dragon and nodded. Blaze started into the tunnel. Ben and Tomas lit up their weapons. With everyone else they followed their guide into the inner darkness of the mountain.

The tunnel was just wide enough for them. They had to duck their heads a few times, but there were no difficulties besides a lingering claustrophobia. For a long time they could only see the shadows cast by the glowing weapons and the back of the person ahead of them. (Or in Charlie's case the tail.)

As they continued, they became aware of how tired they felt. Blaze's four muscular legs could obviously carry him a long way, but the others needed rest.

The tunnel reached another cave deep within the mountain. Tomas checked this new space. It appeared reasonably comfortable, so he said, "We'll take a rest here."

The others were grateful. Oliver sat heavily on the ground. Kathy brushed off a rock before sitting on it. Ben sat down next to Charlie. Blaze lay near both of them. Ben looked at the dragon, then tentatively patted him. He smiled as Blaze purred.

Tomas also sat down on a rock. Without looking he stuck his weapon in the ground. Instead of the expected thunk he heard a sound like a balloon deflating. He looked down and saw a large sunflower. Only it was purple instead of yellow. The blade had cut open its center. Tiny bits of pollen were rising from the cut.

He started blinking. Meanwhile Oliver was saying, "Are we close to the exit?"

Charlie checked with Blaze. Then he pointed at the mouth of another tunnel. "That will take us to the outside," he said.

"Yeah, but is it _close_? 'Cause I'm tired."

Ben yawned. "You actually have a point. I don't know how long we've been in these tunnels."

Oliver stretched himself. "I could go for a nap. What do you say, To…"

He turned and found Tomas slumped on the floor. Judging from his posture, he had just fallen off the rock. Oliver felt vaguely alarmed by this, but he couldn't figure out why. His brain was hazy at the moment.

He turned to the others. Maybe they knew what was wrong. He found them asleep or almost asleep. Charlie was cuddled next to Blaze. The dragon's eyes were closed. Snores rumbled out of his snout.

Kathy and Ben were still awake, but fading quickly. So was Oliver. He found himself drawn to the hard ground as if it were a pile of feathers. As he lay down, he saw Ben's head drop to his chest and Kathy leaning against the cave wall.

Darkness crept over his eyes, and it felt so welcome. Oliver would have succumbed, but he couldn't help noticing a weird scent. It smelt like stale bread – a tiny detail which sent off a warning in his head. _Don't fall asleep_, it said. _Don't fall asleep, it's the air, don't fall asleep…_

His hands drifted toward his cloak. Just before he lost consciousness, he tugged the hood forward.

He felt like a door had been slammed in his face. The smell of stale bread disappeared along with his desire to sleep. He sat up quickly.

"Guys? Guys, wake up."

Nobody heard his urgent words. He crawled over to Kathy and reached for her shoulders. "Kathy, come on, we gotta…"

He called himself stupid as his hands vanished inside her shoulders. How could he have forgotten?

He raised his voice to a shout. "COME ON, KATHY! TOMAS! CHARLIE! WAKE UP, WILL YOU?!"

They remained oblivious. Panic nearly overtook him. Then he forced himself to be calm and to think. _All right, this cloak apparently comes with its own air supply, so whatever is in the cave can't affect me. But I can't touch anybody, either. So how do I…_

He realized what he had to do. He walked over to Ben. He took a deep breath, held it and then pulled down his hood. He then swiped the mace away from the big sleeping teenager. He also grabbed Tomas' sword and scabbard.

He raised the hood. He hooked the mace and scabbard to his belt. Then he took a i very /i deep breath.

He removed the hood. He bent down and grabbed Charlie. He ran to the tunnel Charlie had pointed out earlier. The boy bounced in his arms as he tried to get as far as he could from the cave, all the while holding his breath. The glowing mace lit his way. It kept nudging his thighs like the scabbard.

Eventually the dizziness and chest pain got too much. He set Charlie down, yanked the hood up and breathed deeply.

He wondered if the cave was far enough behind them. He knelt, placed his mouth close to Charlie's ear and whistled.

The boy woke with a yelp. "Wha...? Huh?"

"Stay here," Oliver commanded. "Don't move an inch."

He drew the sword and stuck it in the ground. Then he raised the hood, went back to the cave and repeated the same task with Ben. This time, it took longer. He had to put his hands under Ben's armpits and drag him with the larger man's heels scraping the floor. Twice, he had to set him down and take air breaks under the hood.

Eventually he reached Charlie. The boy still looked confused. He kept one hand on the sword's hilt in order to keep it shining.

Oliver clapped his hands once in front of Ben's face. Ben broke from his sleep, sputtering. He shared Charlie's confusion as he looked up at Oliver.

Oliver explained what was happening and what he had been doing. Then he removed the cloak. "Here."

"What are you giving me that for?"

"Because you're the big strong galoot and I'm the ninety-pound weakling."

Ben got the point. He stood and put on the cloak. It fitted his larger body awkwardly, but well enough. After he put up the hood, he tried to poke the wall.

"Wow," he said as his fingertips entered rock.

"Would you get going?" Oliver snapped.

For once, Ben took Oliver seriously. He ran to the cave. Two back-and-forth trips later Tomas and Kathy were delivered to the safe point. As Oliver had predicted, Ben was quicker about this than him.

After Tomas and Kathy woke up, they asked the expected questions. "Something in that cave is knocking us out," Oliver explained as he took back his cloak from Ben. "We seem to be free from it now."

"What about Blaze?" Charlie asked.

Ben and Oliver looked at each other. Blaze may have been a small dragon, but he was undoubtedly heavy. Moving him would be a two-man job, but only one man could go into that cave. On the other hand, they couldn't come between Charlie and his new friend. And they would certainly need the dragon to guide them further. So what to…

The tunnel got brighter. Kathy's amulet had added a new glow. She and her friends stared at the bright thing hanging from her neck. She wondered if she should be scared.

As it glowed, something new materialized on the floor. When it became solid, the amulet stopped shining. And now a rope lay coiled at her feet.

"Ah," Oliver said, "thank you, Kathy."

She just nodded. Unease stayed on her face.

Two minutes later one end of the rope was tired around Blaze's tail. At the other end four teenagers and a little boy started pulling. It took a lot of heaving, but the dragon was eventually dragged several feet through the tunnel. Just before they pulled him within reach, he stirred awake. He clambered to his feet, obviously disturbed by what was being done to him. He began to growl.

Charlie released the rope. He rushed over to Blaze and stroked his neck. "It's okay, it's okay," he murmured. Blaze calmed himself, despite his confusion.

Oliver dropped the rope. "Whew," he said, rubbing his fingers. "I'll never complain about gym class again."

"Well, I ain't complaining now," Ben said. He patted Oliver on the back. "You did good."

Oliver smiled, but with disbelief. This was the first time Ben had ever complimented him.

The rope chose this moment to disappear. "I don't understand it," Kathy said, staring at the amulet. "I wasn't even thinking of a rope, but…"

Ben said, "At least it's working. What I want to know is why we were falling asleep in there."

Nobody seemed to have an answer. Tomas, however, was remembering what he had accidentally done.

"Charlie," he said, "does Blaze know anything about a purple flower with a thick center?"

Charlie relayed the question to Blaze. After he got an answer he said, "Yes. They're called morphiums. You should be careful with them."

"Or what?"

"Or they'll throw some stuff in the air and make you fall…"

Charlie stopped and looked at Tomas. So did everyone else. "What did you do?" Ben asked in a low voice.

Tomas said, "I…I accidentally punctured a morphium. I didn't mean…"

Ben turned to Charlie. "How long can these things keep you asleep?"

"Weeks," Charlie answered softly.

Ben showed Tomas an angry face. "Oh, that's great! We could have starved to death in that cave! But, hey, at least we would have died in our sleep! Way to go, National Honors Society president!"

Tomas looked down at the ground.

"Next time watch where you stick that thing. 'Cause if you're not careful, amigo, I'll have to take…"

"Don't call him that," Kathy interrupted. "There's no need for it."

Ben quickly turned to her. "It's a friendly name, homegirl. It's better than what I really want…to call…"

His voice faded away. Kathy was staring at him. Her look stifled his rage and brought embarrassment to his face.

In an even voice she said, "You almost took off Tomas' head with your mace. He forgave you. Now I will forgive you. What do you have to say?"

Ben didn't have anything to say for a long time. As he kept quiet, his embarrassment faded into a hard, oblique look.

Eventually he said, "We need to keep moving. There's no telling what else could be down here."

He motioned to Blaze and Charlie. The dragon did not have exact understanding, but he sensed trouble among these humans. Charlie understood enough to make him scared. He needed to trust the older kids, but how could he when they didn't trust each other?

Nevertheless, he and Blaze continued ahead. Without looking at the others Ben followed them, bringing the glow of his mace with him.

Kathy looked at Tomas. "Don't feel bad. You couldn't have known."

Tomas said nothing. Seeing that he was inconsolable for the moment, Kathy sighed and followed Ben. Oliver proceeded after her, somewhat happy that nobody was mad at him.

Tomas remained still for a few more seconds. Then he trudged back into the moving line. Up ahead of him Ben still wouldn't look back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It hadn't been his idea to vandalize the house. It had been Pete's idea. Pete had been mad because he had been suspended from high school. And he knew who was to blame.

In most circumstances Ben would have told Pete that he had nobody to blame but himself. You go around picking on smaller students, tripping them up, throwing their books into the garbage, then sooner or later it's going to catch up with you. Not that Ben really cared what Pete did. But he also thought – hey, it's your mess. You clean it up.

After a few beers, though, he found himself nodding along with Pete's complaints. He wasn't the only one. Pete and Ben were part of a group that gathered weekly near a local convenience store. There were six young men in this group. They had a few common traits. They weren't good students; they had parents who worked as construction workers and gas station attendants and janitors; they were on their way to working in those same jobs; they drank a lot; they were all white.

That's why they felt sympathetic to Pete. He was one of them, right? What happened to him happened to all of them, right? They couldn't let this one pass. Neither could Ben – not after he learned who had ratted Pete out.

He had first crossed paths with Tomas a year ago in gym class. Unlike some other academic achievers, Tomas was pretty good at sports. (Certainly unlike the pale and skinny Oliver who couldn't hit a ball to save his life.) That didn't prove much of a bonding point between him and Ben. As the semester continued, Tomas would make a point of keeping his distance from Ben. He had heard the stories about Ben, and he was judging him by them.

Ben didn't like to be judged. Yeah, he had gotten in some fights. Yeah, he liked to drink. Yeah, he had busted a few windows and knocked over some mailboxes. But he didn't care for people looking down at him, especially not people like Tomas.

'People,' he insisted, didn't mean Hispanics. He would tell anybody that he didn't care about race. But if somebody pushed him…if somebody stirred his dislike…well, certain things just came out.

Or got written.

They had taken a risk going into Tomas' neighborhood. Luckily they moved in and out with no one spotting them. They wished they could have seen Tomas' face when he and his family got home from a National Honors Society dinner. The next day Ben passed Tomas in a school hallway. "How you doin', amigo?" he called out.

Tomas stopped and looked at Ben. The latter looked back just long enough to make his point. Then he walked away, smirking and feeling good about himself.

He remembered that house he visited last night. It had looked so nice with its three bedrooms, wide garage and thriving garden. Through the windows he could spy a dozen things too expensive for his own family. The sight of these goods killed any hesitation in him. Soon the words "GO EAT A TACO" marked the house's front, among other things. He thought about the time and effort needed to remove those spray-painted words, and he felt even better.

He did not feel so good after a mandatory session with a guidance counselor. The counselor told him bluntly that he was in danger of repeating a grade. She then suggested some student tutors who could help him.

He wanted to be nonchalant about it. He wanted to say that he didn't need help from anyone. On the other hand, he thought _Oh, man, another year in this school…_

What tipped him one way was imagining how Tomas would react. Tomas wouldn't laugh. He was always serious. He would nod and say, "What did you expect? Ben's a loser. He'll always be one."

Ben would not give him that satisfaction, so he tracked down one of the tutors. He found her at her locker. He walked up to her and said, "Excuse me."

She didn't acknowledge him. She kept loading and unloading books.

"Excuse me," he repeated.

Still, no acknowledgement. At that moment he saw another person who looked down on him, dismissed him as white trash, treated him like dirt…

He reached around her and hit the edge of her locker. She froze for a moment, then turned. Her brown eyes showed unease.

"Look, can we talk?" he asked testily.

She studied him for a moment. Then she smiled, set down her books and made strange gestures with her hands. Ben was temporarily bewildered.

Then he got it. He felt as if he had stepped out of himself, and he could see some big shabby idiot yelling at a deaf girl.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm…I didn't…"

He began to leave, but she placed a gentle hand on his arm. She motioned for him to speak. With much squirming he explained his situation. After she had read his lips, he expected her to reply with another hand gesture – one more commonly understood than regular sign language.

Instead she scheduled him an appointment. That's how he got to know Dawn.

That's also how he met her brother. Little Charlie had the energy and peculiar interests expected of a young boy. As Ben visited Dawn's house more often, he became the older boy Charlie knew best. Soon the visits became as much about playing games and learning the ways of action figures as studying math and history. Charlie looked more and more forward to the visits of the big teenager.

Ben also found himself enjoying the visits. It wasn't just the fun of playing with Charlie. Dawn's parents did all they could to make him feel welcome. He became a frequent guest at their dinner table.

Above all he enjoyed knowing Dawn. At first, he was just glad someone could explain schoolwork to him without making him feel stupid. As he learned the sign language better, he discovered that she could make him laugh and encourage him to transcend his self-imposed limits. Eventually he discovered that her brown eyes were the only reason he needed for a visit.

One night he stopped in the middle of his science homework. He was sitting next to Dawn at a living room table. She was checking his math assignment.

He reached over and touched her wrist. She looked toward him.

He cleared his throat. "Dawn…would you like to go to the movies sometime?"

She looked at him blankly. Cringing he said, "I'm sorry, I forgot. I mean, I know you can't…you know…you can't…"

She interrupted him with a smile – a smile that, as usual, seemed to fix everything. Then she signed her response. I can still _watch_ a movie, she teasingly answered. And, yes, I would like to see one with you.

After that things went smoothly for awhile. His grades improved, Charlie remained a little bundle of fun, he dated Dawn and her parents were happy with that.

There was just one thing – he was reminded of it every time he saw a Star of David in Dawn's house or when her mother served kosher food. He started to think about all the words and actions that had just 'come out' of him. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he had to change. He quit drinking. As for his friends, that came to an end when Pete asked him, "So is Dawn really a princess?" Actually, it came to an end after Ben decked Pete.

He wanted a new life. However, the old one continued to echo into his reformed present. During a homework session he heard the doorbell ring in Dawn's house. He went to answer it and found Tomas.

The two young men stared at each other for a long moment. Then Ben quietly asked, "Need anything?"

Tomas indicated a small box in his hands. "I wanted to drop this off for Dawn."

Ben hesitated and then said, "I'll make sure she gets it."

Tomas reluctantly gave him the box. He was already turning to leave as Ben closed the door.

Ben placed the box next to Dawn. She recognized it, then looked up and mouthed the word 'Tomas?'

"Yeah, he brought it."

She signed a question. Is he already gone?

He shrugged. Then he sat down and tried to concentrate on his homework. She watched him, knowing that something was wrong. She would understand more in the future.

Here was the problem – Dawn was in the National Honors Society. She was a friend of Tomas. She was a friend of Tomas' girlfriend. And now, accidentally, she had brought a known troublemaker into that circle.

Ben knew how to fix this problem. He could fess up to what he had done and ask for forgiveness. He would get it, too. It was just the sort of thing a mature fellow like Tomas would do.

However, he didn't want anything from Tomas. He didn't want to be 'accepted' into this little group. He would not go crawling to the guy who had looked down on him.

As long as he still had Dawn and Charlie, everyone else could stuff it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The suns still hung in the sky. Judging from their position, the time was late afternoon. After all those hours in the tunnels, the young travelers and their dragon spent a few moments blinking against the light.

They had reached the other side of the mountains. They found something new to cross. Stretching before them was a plain covered with green moss and tiny streams. Tomas walked to the edge and stuck his mace into a soft-looking patch. The spiked ball penetrated the ground. A patch of water bubbled upward. As it did, the earth whistled a flute-like sound.

"Didn't the Dungeon Master mention this?" he said. "The Singing whatever?"

"The Singing Marshes," Kathy reminded him.

"Huh." Ben turned to Tomas. "So which way do we go?"

Tomas looked at Ben as if to say 'You're really asking?' Ben's responsive look said 'Just get out the map.'

So Tomas unrolled the map. He looked behind him and compared the nearest peak to the map's symbols. Then he checked the marshes. Eventually he pointed toward the northeast.

"That way."

"Are you sure?"

"If Tomas says that's the way," Kathy said, "then we go that way."

Ben turned his stare upon her. She stared right back at him. He discovered that he couldn't look at her for too long.

He faced the Singing Marshes. "Okay," he said. "Then we…"

"Ah, haven't we forgotten something?" Oliver said. "Dungeon Master said that The Terror controlled this place."

"And…?"

"And, you know, there might be a problem with walking into enemy territory."

"We've been on enemy territory since we came here. You know, killer trees, metal soldiers. We won't be any worst here than anywhere else. Besides, we're heading straight for The Terror's castle. Or have you forgotten?"

So much for compliments, Oliver thought. "Okay, okay," he said. "I get it."

"Then let's move. Watch your step."

They did both of those things. Watching steps was not easy, though. Inevitably someone would step in a deep patch and get their legs wet. Charlie had it the easiest. He was riding on Blaze. The dragon seemed perfectly happy to carry the boy. Seeing this, Ben had to comment –

"I guess you made a new friend."

Charlie nodded.

"Does he understand where we're going?"

Charlie nodded again.

"Isn't he scared?"

"He's just glad to find a new clan."

"Huh. Yeah, I can understand how that…"

Blaze stopped and growled. Expecting to get torched, Ben held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, what's wrong?"

Then he saw that Blaze wasn't growling at him. He was looking at the wet ground.

"Hey," Oliver said. "Do you feel that?"

Ben did. So did Kathy and Tomas. There was a vibration in the ground. It made their feet tingle at first. Then it strengthened. Tiny ripples were noticeable on the exposed water. Tiny discordant chimes accompanied them.

Then there was a distinct rumble. The ripples turned the reflected sunlight into a hundred bright shards. The chiming became louder as if a dozen churches were ringing bells at once. The travelers could now feel the vibration all up to their thighs.

Ben yelled "Back up, back up, back up…"

They stumbled backwards through the puddles. They had trouble keeping upright as the vibration became a tremor. Tomas and Ben raised their weapons. Something was obviously coming up through the ground.

Some things, in fact.

They came through straight at first, jutting fifteen feet into the air. Then they curved toward the ground. There were four of them – four metal tentacles.

Tomas had no idea what was attached to them. He didn't know if it could see the people above ground. Maybe it didn't need to. The tentacles were long and quick. One whipped itself toward him. Another headed for Ben. The last two went for the others.

Oliver got his hood up just in time. A tentacle passed through him. Blaze unleashed a burst of flame. It caught one tentacle, making it stop and quiver. Then it turned and went after Kathy. A few inches of metal curled around her ankle. She fell forward, the puddle jangling at her contact. Then it began dragging her. Oliver ran to her, removed his hood and tried to pry the tentacle from her ankle.

"Oliver, look out!"

He reached for his hood, but he was too late. A tentacle wrapped itself around his chest and pinned his arms to his side. He hollered his pain at the squeezing grip. The tentacle raised him off the ground. Kathy grabbed her amulet. "Do something!" she pleaded. The amulet's crystal did nothing except sparkle a little.

Tomas sliced through a tentacle. Ben's mace broke through another. Two long tubes of metal hit the ground and quivered. Ben and Tomas rushed to help their companions.

Four new tentacles rocketed from the ground. The needed rescuers could barely protect themselves now. They couldn't damage one tentacle while dodging a second. What's worse, the two severed tentacles were reassembling themselves.

In a few seconds their friends would be dragged down into the marshes. A plan was needed. Right now.

Fortunately, someone else had already thought of one. Blaze took a deep, deep breath. Then he reared up and sent Charlie rolling off his back. The boy fell startled into a puddle. He was even more startled when Blaze jumped right onto the center point among the tentacles. He dug into the soft ground, and the earth readily swallowed him.

"Blaze!" Charlie cried out.

All the tentacles became temporarily still. Then they released Oliver and Kathy. Oliver hit the ground yelling "Ow!" The tentacles slithered away.

Blaze's snout and claws broke through the mud. A football-sized chunk of metal was between his teeth. He was struggling to climb out of the damp ground. Tomas, Ben and Charlie all helped him to get free. Once his whole body was above ground he shook himself, flinging a hundred droplets of water.

"What did you do?" Ben asked. "How did…"

Blaze's neck suddenly went right. He looked like an invisible rope was pulling on him. Ben saw the metal chunk vibrate in the dragon's mouth. He also noticed tiny wheels spinning on the chunk.

He did some quick guesswork. He grabbed the other end of the metal piece. He could feel the magnetism directing it to the ground.

"We got to leave now!" He pulled on the chunk as hard as he could. Between him and Blaze's mighty jaws they kept it from leaving.

They went on the run. The others followed, splashing and stumbling through the marshes.

They got about fifty feet away from the spot where they were attacked. With each step Ben's hands turned redder from the strain. Blaze's jaw trembled. They could only cross a few more feet before…

"Watch out!"

The others jumped out of the way as he and Blaze released the chunk. It shot past them and dove into the ground.

"Keep going!" Ben shouted. They did, constantly on the look for metal tentacles. They sloshed a long way before Ben stopped.

"Okay, wait, wait," he panted. He looked at Blaze and pointed downwards. Blaze lowered his face. He examined the ground carefully.

Then he raised his head and shook it. Ben sighed with relief. "Okay, everybody take a break. We're out of that Steelkin's range."

Oliver fell to his knees, trembling with exhaustion. Kathy knelt and rubbed her ankle. Through deep breaths Tomas asked, "What happened? What did Blaze do?"

"Took a piece out of that Steelkin. Must have been an important part. It couldn't do anything until it got the part back."

"Oh. So you kept it until we could get free."

"Yeah." Ben patted the dragon's head. "You got yourself a smart friend here, Charlie."

Charlie grinned and rubbed Blaze on his neck. "Well," Oliver muttered, "I'm glad he's useful. He's much more reliable than that stupid amulet."

Kathy looked down at the thing hanging from her neck. "Whatever the reason," Ben said, "we can keep going. After a minute's rest we'll go on. Okay?"

No one objected. A minute later, Ben continued through the marshes. Charlie and Blaze were right behind him. Still panting a little Oliver followed.

Tomas noticed that Kathy was still kneeling and looking at the amulet. "Kathy?" he said.

"I don't understand it," she whispered. "Why didn't it do anything?"

"Don't worry," Tomas said. "Let's just keep moving."

Kathy remained on the ground for a few more seconds. Then she dragged herself to her feet. Limping a bit she joined the others. This time she was the one lagging in the back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Night was upon the travelers when they finally left the marshes. They were exhausted and wet. The new dry ground made a pleasant spot to rest.

Ben gathered some wood. Blaze supplied the spark. By the light of a campfire Tomas checked the map.

"If we keep heading north," he said, "we'll reach the Citadel by tomorrow night."

He looked around him. The others were suddenly thinking about where they were going and what they could do upon getting there. They realized that they were very unsure about the latter.

"Do we have a plan?" Oliver asked.

"We have these," Ben said. He held up his mace.

"Ah, haven't our weapons proven to be a bit unreliable? We could have gotten killed back there if it hadn't been for our own personal dragon."

Ben considered this observation. He turned to the young woman in their group. "Kathy, have you…"

"No, I haven't!"

Her snappish voice made everyone else blink. "I still don't know how to work this stupid thing! I don't know how I ever will! Why am I expected to?! I didn't ask for it! I never wanted anything to do with MAGIC!"

She yanked the amulet from her neck and threw it away. It rustled through a bush and landed with a thump. Then she lowered herself to the ground, crossed her arms and hid her face there.

"I don't want to be here," she whimpered. "Oh, God, please, I don't want to be here…"

No one knew what to say for a long time. The only sounds were Kathy's weeping and the crackling of a fire.

Then Ben mumbled, "Why don't we rest here for the night? I think we could…you know…"

It seemed as good an idea as any. Each of them wanted to comfort the weeping girl, but they could think of no reassuring words. Perhaps they could only let her cry it out.

Charlie nestled against Blaze's side. Tomas rolled up the map, lay on his back and closed his eyes. Ben rested on his side with the mace in close reach.

Oliver was the last to close his eyes. He went to the bush and found the amulet. He walked back to Kathy. Her crying had softened. She seemed ready to fall asleep.

He looked between her and the crystal. Then he tucked it into a pocket of his vest.

He removed his cloak. He gently laid it on her body. Then he found his own spot and curled up there.

Bit by bit, ember by ember the fire died.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She was not, as she would tell anyone, the kind of person to burn Harry Potter books. However, she would also say that the inherent nature of faith was to be tested. The concept of magic struck her as one of those tests.

She had never liked magic. As a child she preferred stories where the heroes won because they were smart or quick or strong or even lucky and where the villains were dangerous because they were devious or cunning or simply mean. Magic, on the other hand, always struck her as a shortcut around all that. She was always disappointed when a magic wand or a potion was introduced.

Take Aslan, for example. When her father told her the story of Aslan's resurrection, he had expected her to cheer. Instead she was just confused. "How can Aslan be alive?"

Daddy explained about the Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time. Her immediate reaction to this concept was "Did Aslan make that up?"

Now he was the one confused. Why would Aslan make it up?

"'Cause it sounds made-up. Did he really die?"

They went back and forth like this until he played his trump-card. Aslan was meant to be Jesus. His resurrection was the same as Jesus' resurrection.

This confused her even more. "Jesus was a lion?" No, no, it's a metaphor. "What's that?" It's something that means something else. Aslan is supposed to mean Jesus.

"Then why not just tell the story of Jesus?"

Her father surrendered. He had assumed that she would enjoy _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_, but he learned better. After that he stuck to reading Encyclopedia Brown stories. Now those she liked. She felt really pleased when she could figure out the solutions. She also giggled every time Sally Kimball punched Bugs Meany. (Not that she would ever do such a thing to a boy. No, no.) Encyclopedia Brown, as she would later note with amusement, was her first fictional crush. Sherlock Holmes would become her second. Now those were heroes she liked – people who solved problems with the everyday yet wonderful gifts God gave them. They could actually be real. Talking badgers and scarecrows – you could keep them. She saw no point in even pretending that gold could be found at the end of a rainbow, fairies could be healed with clapping, and reindeer could fly.

But she did believe in Jesus.

In high school she would write an essay about the difference between faith and magic. Faith was its own reward; magic was worthless unless it delivered some kind of material good. Faith relied on a constant law; magic was arbitrary and incoherent. Science was not an enemy of faith because faith needed to be tested. Magic was a corruption of science because it falsely presented itself as a coherent system of thought. Most importantly, all things were possible with God. To say that all things were possible with anything else was a road away from God.

"So basically you have complete assurance that some dude raised the dead, turned water into wine and walked on the sea, but it's harmful for kids to _pretend_ there are elves?"

That, Kathy told Oliver, was a simplification of the thesis. "Of course, it's a simplification," he smugly told her. "It takes out all the big words and says what you really mean."

A very long argument followed. After many smart-aleck remarks from him and many attempts to stay calm on her part, she asked herself – how did this guy get my paper in the first place? Who is he?

He was a friend of Tomas' girlfriend. Later she asked her and Tomas why they put up with him. Christine just smiled and said, "Hang in there with him. He's actually a fun guy."

Much to her surprise, she did hang in there. She kept running into him at a football game or a drama club production or some other event. Usually the encounter would lead into an argument.

At least, that was the initial result. Future meetings became less argumentative. One night he told her a joke about three pigs and a rabbi. And she laughed. And she would laugh at his other jokes. Yes, he still baited her and taunted her, but she was taking it in stride now. She discovered that she actually liked being around him. Why in the world was that?

Because she felt more carefree around him. When she was a child, adults would tell her parents, "Kathy is so serious." Her parents would agree. They were, in fact, a little uncomfortable around a child so dismissive of unicorns and goblins. That wasn't, in their view, the way a little girl should be. This seriousness appeared incapable of ever going away.

Around Oliver, though, it did go away. She found herself grateful for that. When he asked her to spend a Saturday with him at the amusement park, she agreed. Once they got there, he couldn't resist making jokes like --

"What kind of amusement park is this place? Where's the freak show? Where are the dog-faced boy and the guy eating live chickens? There aren't even any carnies with tattoos! If nobody steals my wallet in the next minute, I'm leaving!"

She laughed, but she was glad that the amusement park didn't match his descriptions. It was full of color and exuberant children. The delighted cries from the roller coaster and the smell of cotton candy blended perfectly with the sun's warmth on her face.

Then she saw the dragon.

She almost gasped. Its appearance was discordant with the carefree games and balloons. Its mouth opened wide to devour.

Oliver said, "Huh. Dungeons and Dragons."

"What?"

"You know, that role-playing game."

"Oh."

"They got a ride based on that? I thought it went out with the eighties."

"I guess it's still popular."

Oliver looked at her. She saw an unpleasantly familiar smile and steeled herself for the taunts.

Instead of a joke, though, he said, "Let's go ride on it."

"Ah…why?"

"Because it looks fun. And I'm curious." He raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any objections?"

No, she didn't. Not really. She still had a lingering fear of that dragon's head – the one in which the ride cars disappeared – but she didn't regard it as a rational fear. Besides, if she didn't come, she wouldn't hear the end of it. For at least a week it would have been "That Dungeons and Dragons game is the devil's work, I tell ya!" and "Listen to Kathy! She'll protect your soul from the dreaded occult!"

That's why she joined him on the ride. That's why she was crying herself to sleep in a world far away from her home. That's why she was wondering if God had abandoned her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_They'll be here soon. Aren't you excited?_

_I'll give them good marks. They've done well enough against the pitfalls and hazards along the way. They managed to stick together despite their internal conflicts and private doubts. In fact, I'll go so far to say that they could be the new Six. They could be the true successors to Hank and the rest._

_But they won't be. Because this is my game. There are no twelve-sided die, no points, no special cards to play. When it's finished, you don't clear off the table and put away the snacks._

_You just die. You die and then stink. I win and then continue to win._

_Watch this one, Dungeon Master. It's going to be special._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kathy woke up. She found Oliver's cloak draped on her. She slowly turned and saw him eating one of the nuts provided by Jerod. The two of them looked at each other, unsure of themselves.

Eventually she stood and handed the cloak to him. She joined the others in a small breakfast.

Then they kept walking.

They saw many things along the way – green spiders with bodies two inches wide and thin legs three feet long; a tree made of glass; a staircase that led to a door hanging in mid-air; bats wearing suits and ties; a pool of water that kept changing color; clouds in the shape of animals fighting each other in the sky.

No one attacked them. No Steelkin got in their way. They just kept walking. They stopped to finish their small supply of food, but their pace was constant for the rest of the day.

The sky was close to nightfall when they reached a long, twisting web of canyons -- the Canyons of Yanday, according to the map. The travelers found a path that could lead them to the canyon's bottom. Down there they began their final steps to the Citadel of Iron.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Something's bothering me."

Tomas had walked up the line and spoken to Ben, but the latter hadn't responded. Ben suspected that his leadership now depended on silence. Kathy's breakdown last night had raised a problem he couldn't solve. Fear and doubt were overtaking their group. His control was so fragile now. The wrong word could destroy it. If that happened, they would stop and Dawn would continue to be a prisoner.

That's why he didn't say anything to Tomas. He just knew that the other young man wanted control. Ben was not giving him an opportunity to take it.

Despite the lack of response Tomas continued, "Why haven't the dragons been able to fight back?"

This time Ben did react. He looked at Tomas with confusion. He could see Tomas' face by torchlight. Blaze had helped to create some torches out of discarded wood. They pulled the travelers' shadows up the canyon walls and encased them in a quivering red globe of light.

"Blaze made a Steelkin back down," Tomas said, "and he's just a kid dragon. Imagine what a full-grown one could do. But according to him, the dragons are running from The Terror just like everyone else."

"What's your point?" Ben muttered.

"My point is – The Terror could have something worse than the Steelkin, something that we…"

He heard a sound. They all heard it. They all froze in case they could hear it again.

They did. It was a deep thud. It was followed by another and another. The sound wasn't getting close to them, but its echo rippled through the canyon.

Everybody looked at Ben. He took a deep breath. He released it.

Then he raised his mace to chest level and proceeded ahead. His companions lagged behind for a moment, but Tomas decided to follow Ben. The rest followed Tomas.

They were reaching a bend in the canyon. The thudding grew louder as they closed their distance. They slowed their pace until they were tip-toeing. The tall sides of the canyon kept them from seeing anything except the glow of something enormously bright.

Ben stopped at the edge of the turn. He carefully looked around it.

"Oh, man…"

Tomas crept to his side. He got his own look.

For the first time he saw the Citadel of Iron. It looked like a cross between a cathedral and an oil refinery. He could see tall spires, ornately carved doors and gargoyles, but they were all made of bolted metal. The glow they had seen came from roaring tips of fire on several chimneys. Grease and soot covered the whole citadel.

However, the Citadel wasn't the only thing that got their attention. There was also the thing guarding its front. Tomas discovered that the thuds were footsteps.

They belonged to one of the Steelkin, but this one was twice as big as an elephant. It moved slowly on its immense legs. At the front of its square body was a head. It looked to the right, giving a Tomas a better view of its face. Two red lights served as its eyes. A vent was its mouth. White streams of evaporating moisture drifted out of the vent. Tomas was reminded of an ice tray.

That's when we noticed the ones near the Steelkin's feet. Some of them were humans, some of them weren't. He guessed that one of them was a centaur. Another might have been an elf. The one with wings and a tail was certainly a large dragon.

Despite their diversity, they had one thing in common. They were all encased in ice, trapped in a posture of anguish. The Steelkin stood next to these living statues as if they were its trophies.

Ben and Tomas stepped back from the bend. They slid down the canyon wall and sat on the ground. The others had their own look at what they had seen. Their reactions were as expected. They also sat down on the ground, not yet in the giant Steelkin's sight and definitely not wanting to be.

Tomas looked at Blaze. The little dragon was quivering. "Charlie," he said, "ask Blaze if that's what chased off the dragons."

Charlie did. He received a yes. "Well, I'm sure scared of it," Oliver whimpered. "We actually have to get past that thing?"

"Looks like it," Ben said quietly.

"Really?" Oliver affected a southern accent. "General, I gotta tell you – this shore looks one-sided."

Ben scowled at him. "You want to leave Dawn there?"

Oliver looked back, unafraid. "I'm saying we need a plan. 'Cause just rushing in and trying to smash things ain't gonna do it."

"Then what's your plan?"

"I don't have one. I can admit that. Why can't you?"

Tomas looked upwards at the opposing wall. He kept looking upwards as Ben and Oliver argued.

"Why don't you admit that you're a coward?"

"Oh, don't even try that with me." Oliver leaned toward Ben. "This isn't gym class. This isn't high school. This is life and death. And you're not going to bully your way out of this one."

Ben stood. He glared down at Oliver from his full height. Oliver, however, just sneered, "Go ahead. Do the only thing you know."

Ben didn't move for a long time. Nobody was quite sure what he would do.

Then his shoulders drooped. He slid back down to a sitting position. His expression was despondent. "We're this close," he said, as if to himself. "We can't stop now."

"Actually," Tomas said, "we can."

Everybody looked at him with equal surprise. He stood. As he spoke, he didn't seem to be looking down at them. He was calm yet determined.

"This was a mistake. An understandable one, but still a mistake. We came here to rescue a friend, but we can't do it. Not today. Dungeon Master was right. The odds are too great. We have to turn away."

"Are you serious?" Oliver said.

"Yes."

"Uh…I am scared, but we can't just leave Dawn…"

"Leaving Dawn is the only thing we can do."

"No," Charlie whispered.

Tomas looked to the little boy. "No," Charlie repeated softly.

Tomas knelt down. He looked the boy in the eye. Charlie heard something different in Tomas' voice. Older people usually spoke to him as an adult spoke to a child. In that moment Tomas spoke as Charlie heard adults talking to each other.

"Dawn loves you very much. If she had the choice between the slim chance of getting rescue and the greater chance to keep you safe, she wouldn't hesitate to choose for your safety. I know this. You know it, too."

Tears welled in Charlie's eyes. He wanted to turn away, but Tomas wouldn't let him. "Look at me," he said.

Charlie did so. "If I could save her," Tomas said, "I would do it. There are many things I wish I could do, like get us out of this world. But the only thing I can do now…the only thing we can do is protect ourselves. Do you understand?"

Charlie wiped his eyes. It took him awhile to respond.

Then he nodded. Tomas nodded in return. He stood and faced the others. "Well?" he said. "Is there any way we can save Dawn today?"

Kathy looked down at the amulet. "If I knew how to use this thing properly…" She stared at it briefly, then shook her head. "No. You're right. We can't save her."

"I sure can't help her," Oliver muttered. "All I can do is…move through things."

"There's no shame in that." Tomas looked at Ben. "There's no shame in accepting the truth. You have to know who you are and what you're capable of doing."

The two young men stared at each other. Ben wanted to argue with him, to fight with him, to insist that Tomas had no right to say such things. But he was looking at the expression of an honest man. In his heart Ben respected honesty more than anything.

So why couldn't he be honest with himself?

"We can't leave her," he said. He pulled himself off the ground. He paused before adding, "Not forever."

"No. We will return. Not tomorrow nor next week nor likely for a long time, but one day. However, today is just for survival – your survival, Ben. That's what Dawn would want."

Ben sighed. "I guess a guy has to do whatever his girlfriend wants."

Looking down at the ground he trudged away from the citadel. His footsteps seemed as heavy as the thudding walk of the Steelkin. Charlie walked over to him. He held out a hand. Ben hooked his mace to his belt and accepted Charlie's hand. Blaze walked alongside them.

Oliver was the next to go. He looked at the bend before he started moving.

Kathy was about to follow him. Tomas walked over to her, placed an arm on her shoulders and whispered in her ear. She remained very still as he spoke.

Then she nodded, almost imperceptibly. With a hand around her amulet, she walked after the others.

Tomas turned toward the bend. He listened to the Steelkin's feet and looked at the glow of the chimney's fire.

A metal bird watched him from a stone perch. Its glass eyes noted his departure and fed the image to other eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Dawn…_

_I have something most wonderful to tell you._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They had walked nearly a mile when Ben heard Tomas say, "Well?"

"I'm not sure," Kathy said. "It's hard to tell in the dark."

He looked back at them. Kathy was examining her amulet's crystal. She was holding it close to her chest and angling it toward the sky. Tomas was facing straight ahead as he spoke to her.

"Think I should chance a look?" he asked.

Ben said, "What are you two…"

"Don't look at us," Tomas ordered. His voice was so stern that Ben actually obeyed.

Tomas added, "That goes for all of you." Oliver and Charlie also complied, even though they were confused.

"So," Tomas said, "should I chance it?"

Kathy studied the crystal for a few quiet seconds. Then she said, "Yes. Do it."

Tomas turned. He looked up at the sky. He quickly yet thoroughly scanned it. He also checked all the available perches.

He nodded. "It's not here. We're safe."

Ben couldn't take it anymore. He stopped and faced Tomas. "What's not here?! What are you talking about?"

"Some bird that has been following us. I noticed it somewhere in the Singing Marshes. It was the Terror's spy on us."

Ben looked up at the sky. So did Oliver and Charlie. The glow of the torches and the brightness of the stars provided enough light for their own check. No bird could be seen.

"I had Kathy checking behind us the whole time," Tomas explained.

"If nothing else," Kathy said, "this amulet is a good mirror."

"I don't get it," Ben said. "So we lost a spy. So what?"

"So…we now have the advantage of surprise."

Ben, Oliver and Charlie were certainly surprised. "Hold it," Oliver squeaked. "Are you saying…"

"We're going back. We're going to rescue Dawn."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_I admit it – I'm a little disappointed. I was looking forward to killing your friends. Of course, I still have you, my dear…_

_No, no, don't look so scared. Well, you should be scared, but not because I'm going to kill you._

_I'm going to hurt you._

_I'm going to do things that will become legendary. The tales of your agony will be known through the Realm and give children nightmares. Your friends will know about it. They will know that they left you here to suffer. They will despise themselves as cowards. Because I am not Venger, and they are not The Six. I am so much worse than him, and they are so much smaller than the ones who preceded them._

_I have to think about this. I have to plan carefully what I will do._

_You get some sleep. We'll have a busy day tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. And the day…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Oliver sputtered, "But…you said…"

"I said we had no advantages. Now we do have one. The Terror thinks we've given up."

"How can you be sure?" Ben asked suspiciously.

"Remember what Dungeon Master said? 'Evil always expects the worst from others.' He was telling us the only way that we can win. The Terror has to believe we would run away. He'll find it easy to believe. After all, that's what everybody else has been doing."

"So now…"

"So now we can take him with his guard down."

"Hold it," Oliver said. "Hold it, hold it, HOLD IT. You just convinced us to walk away."

"I had to. You had to be convinced so The Terror could be convinced."

"And now you're trying to talk us into going back."

"Because now we have an advantage."

"Riiiiight. The advantage of surprise. Well, let me tell you – I find the previous stuff you said a lot more logical."

"Then consider this – we are the new Six."

Everybody stared at Tomas. "Yes," he told him. "We are. We have to be. We are the ones who can overcome impossible odds. We are the ones who defeat the monsters and beat back the darkness. We are here to make the Realm safe again."

He saw the doubt on their faces. "Look at how much we've survived so far," he told them. "The Kulls, the Steelkin, the long journey here." He smiled a little. "We even survived one of my mistakes."

"This is another one," Oliver snapped.

"I saw the look on your face."

"Huh?"

"Back near the Citadel. You were reluctant to leave. You wanted to keep going. But, like you said, we had no real plan. I'm saying to you now…"

Tomas walked toward Oliver. He placed his hands on those thin shoulders. "I have a plan. It can work. But it will only work if you help us. We need our spy. What does he say?"

Oliver tried to think of the life he had before entering this realm. It seemed so far away. This moment was much clearer to him. So were the feelings he had.

He finally gave his answer. "He says – he wants to know what exactly in the world you're doing. But…he's also willing to listen."

Tomas nodded and squeezed Oliver's shoulders. He turned to Kathy. "We'll also need our witch. I know your difficulties, but I still believe that amulet was given to you for a reason. You can use it. God wants you to use it. Do you believe that?"

Kathy looked at the smooth object in her hands. It didn't feel as strange and alien as before.

"Yes," she said. "I do."

"What about you, shepherd? Do you and your dragon want to fight?"

Oliver looked toward Blaze. They had another silent talk. Then they turned to Oliver and smiled.

That left Ben. "What about you, Viking?"

"I don't know," Ben drawled. "You said this was impossible."

"We've seen nothing but the impossible happen for the past few days. The Realm allows for such things. Why should a happy ending be any less likely?"

"So you were lying back there."

"No. That was the truth. But the truth can change. We can change it now. This is what The Six can do. But we must do it together. If you're against it, then none of us will do it. That means – it's your decision."

Tomas waited for a response. Ben looked at Tomas' face for a long time. Its expression was still honest, which meant he had to be honest as well.

He chuckled briefly. "I can see why you're President of the Honor Society."

"Is that a yes?"

"I'm saying – what is the plan, Knight?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Oliver was drowning in rock. That's what the sensation felt like to him. He could still breathe, but he swallowed air with the expectation of losing it.

When Tomas had detailed his plan, Oliver just had to comment. "That's it?! That's your plan?!"

"The Steelkin are machines," he said. "Something has to be powering them. It has to be inside the Citadel."

"Says you."

"If there's nothing like that, then there must be something we can use. You're our only chance of getting at it."

"But whatever happens, you'll be attacking the Citadel anyway."

"Within an hour, yes."

"So your plan is messed up in every way possible. You don't even have a watch. How will you know it's an hour?"

"We'll…estimate."

"Why do that at all? If I can't find anything that'll…oh, I see. This is your way of encouraging me."

"Yes," Tomas had admitted. "But if we're going to launch a surprise attack, it has to be as soon as possible. We're counting on you to make it successful."

_We're counting on you._ Yikes. Even worse was that Oliver really didn't want to let them down. He actually wanted to participate in this mad attack against an invincible enemy.

And that's why he was walking through the canyon walls. He had gone ahead of the others and stopped just short of the Citadel. Fortunately, no metal birds had spotted him. Then he had pressed himself against the rock wall, pulled up his hood and stepped forward.

He was discovering what a rock looked like from the inside – completely dark. No light could get inside here. However, he could feel a strange pressure around him. There was no pain, but his stomach tightened. It was like walking alongside a tiger. Make one wrong move, and the tiger would pounce. In this case the wrong move would be pulling down his hood. That would have been very bad, yes indeed.

So he kept one hand on the edge of his hood, making sure that it didn't slip off. That didn't solve the other problem of knowing his direction. He had only one guide in his blind walk. He could hear the thudding steps of the giant Steelkin. The sound was muffled, but it could reach his ears. He tried to guess the legged machine's position and circle around it.

He dearly hoped that he was heading the right way. He couldn't stop imagining the nightmare of him getting completely lost and wandering through stone forever. He had to stop many times to calm himself. He did so by thinking about one of his favorite subjects – cartoons of the eighties.

He had been born after the fall of the Berlin Wall, but the 'toons of the decade preceding his birth fascinated him. He would never forget the time he had encountered an episode of _M.A.S.K_. He had caught it on some cable station that catered to odd kinds of nostalgia. The stiff animation, the plots both childishly simplistic and bewilderingly incomprehensible, the blatant attempts to sell toys, the strangely catchiness of the theme song – they all struck a chord with him.

After that he couldn't get enough of such cartoons. With YouTube, Cartoon Network and eBay as his guides, he plunged into this world of forgotten television. From _He-Man_ to _Turbo __Teen_, _The Smurfs_ to _Bravestar_, he left no program overlooked. His knowledge of the genre became encyclopedic. He knew every song played on _Kidd Video_; every character on _The Littles_; every video game that had been adapted into a cartoon; the name of every passing celebrity who had been crudely rendered into an animated figure. He had even acquired a copy of _A Pac-Man Christmas_ and learned how to play the _Wheeled Warriors_ theme on a piano.

Nobody else knew quite what to make of this, including his family and friends. On occasion someone would sit down and watch an eighties cartoon with him. That person typically spent just a few minutes and then left shaking their heads. They continued to shake their heads as he explained how _The Real Ghostbusters_ was ruined when it emphasized the stupid green ghost and why _Mighty Orbots_ was a neglected gem. Was he joking with them? Or was he being serious?

Honestly he wasn't sure. He was certainly fond of irony and being silly just for the sake of being silly. However, these old, cheap cartoons were also a peculiar comfort for him. When he watched one of them, everything felt relaxed for twenty-two minutes. The end credits usually brought a little disappointment for him. When they were finished, he was just Oliver. He had to raise his defenses again and guard himself with quips. What else could a clumsy, skinny kid use to protect himself?

His jokes couldn't protect him now. That left him to fall back on memories of cartoons. As he stood encased within a hundred feet of rock, he asked himself –

What would Lion-O do?

He would man up. (Or lion up, apparently.) He wouldn't let his friends confront evil alone. He would keep going.

That's what Oliver chose to do. As he walked, he stretched out an arm and tried to feel something besides the relentless pressure. A different sensation eventually crossed his fingertips. He decided to take a chance and head in that direction.

His head poked out of the rock. The complete darkness gave way to the lesser shadows of the Citadel. Much to his surprise, he was right where he needed to be.

He had found his way to a narrow space between the Citadel and the canyon walls. No one could have squeezed into here. No one except for a temporary ghost, that is.

He looked at the dark metal building. Then he checked out around him, just in case. He hadn't been spotted yet.

Then he left the rock and slipped through metal.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What do you think? That was an hour?"

Tomas took a few seconds before responding to Ben's question. "Yes," he said. "I think it was."

He turned to the others. Kathy held the amulet tightly against her chest. Charlie stood close to Blaze. Ben had his mace resting on his shoulder. They all looked expectedly at Tomas. Even the dragon was waiting for his word.

_Christine should be here instead_ , he thought. _She should be leading. She always knows what to do._

But she wasn't there. This was the reason why –

When they went to the Dungeons and Dragons ride, they found themselves behind a couple of familiar people.

"Hi-diddly-ho!" Oliver called out. "Look who's here!"

"Hello, everybody," Kathy said.

"Hey, Kathy," Christine said. "Hey, Oliver. I guess we're all going on the ride." What she didn't know was that the ride cars only seated six. They learned this when they reached the front of the line.

"I'll stay behind," Tomas quickly said.

"No, no," Christine said. "I'll wait for the next car."

He started to object, but she gave him a look. You can't avoid Ben forever, her eyes said. As long as he's with Dawn, we'll meet again. So start working on the truce.

Tomas had to agree with her. He still couldn't help feeling a little resentful. That was why…

That was why he hadn't waved at her. The ride car had carried away a peevish young man. It could have been Christine's last memory of him.

But he couldn't think of that now. She wouldn't want that. She would want him to be the leader – not for the sake of pleasing his family or personal ambition or ethnic pride. He had to lead because he had to do it.

"Don't fight to win," he said. "Not at first. Fight to buy Oliver time. If it's not enough…then keep on fighting. Because this will be the only chance we get."

He drew his sword. "Let's go."

They marched the distance they had put between them and the Citadel. They showed no hesitation. Right before they turned the final bend, Tomas' sword started to glow. So did Ben's mace and Charlie's staff. Kathy's amulet was still a blank, but she showed no less determination.

And a puff of smoke floated from Blaze's mouth.

They turned the bend. They walked past the frozen prisoners and straight toward the giant Steelkin.

At first, it didn't seem to notice them. It walked a few more ponderous steps.

Then it stopped. It turned its head to the left. Those red eyes caught them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_What?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"CHARGE!!"

Three teen-agers, a boy and a small dragon attacked a metal beast bigger than all of them put together. They were ready for victory. They were ready for death. They were ready to face the next moments together.

Standing on top of the canyon walls an old man watched them. He felt both pride and sorrow in his heart. Oh, father, he thought. Must I stand aloof? Can I be expected to do nothing except watch these brave young people throw their lives away?

Apparently, yes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A streak of white air jetted from the Steelkin's face. It would have frozen all of the attackers at once, but they had already scattered. It swiveled its head toward the biggest target. That was Ben. It had the huge teenager almost targeted when…

Shriek. Crack.

Tomas had carved a long gash in one of its back legs. Distracted from Ben, the Steelkin raised that wounded leg with the intent of stomping. Tomas quickly leapt out of the way before the leg pounded the earth. At the same time, Ben aimed for the front right leg. He brought his mace down hard on its ankle.

The leg buckled. Ben retreated before the Steelkin could fire another cold blast. It barely missed him, and he could feel a horrible chill on his bare legs.

But he and Tomas had the advantage. They were insects next to the Steelkin, but their magical weapons made for devastating stingers. It was too heavy and slow to defend itself properly. Blade and mace tore up its legs until everyone could hear the low, ugly sound of bending metal. Like a tower getting pushed by a hurricane, the Steelkin leaned to one side and fell upon its master's palace. The Citadel of Iron trembled, but its tough metal shell withstood the blow. It kept the Steelkin from falling completely over.

It shouldn't have been able to right itself. However, everybody knew better than that now.

They watched the metal pieces come back together. As the legs healed themselves and the Steelkin pushed itself upright, Tomas looked to Kathy. She was rubbing the amulet. It did not even give the hint of a glow. She shook her head at him.

We're going to lose, he thought, unless Oliver can pull something out of his hat.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nothing could touch Oliver. He was still terrified.

He felt like he was inside an engine. He moved carefully through steel corridors. The walls were dark gray and covered with gears. Those gears twitched and whirled, surrounding Oliver with a constant hum. Pipes belched smoke. Vibrations would abruptly pass through the floor. He couldn't shake the fear that he was about to get chewed up and spat out.

The Steelkin were a constant threat. He would hear them clanging as they approached a corner. He kept sliding through a wall and hoping that he wouldn't run into metal soldiers into another room. No, they couldn't hurt him. (At least, he didn't think so.) However, if they found him, then so much for the surprise attack, right?

He crossed through one room after another. He found racks of weapons, mounds of stolen treasure, maps of the Realm and a hundred other items. He just couldn't find anything that could help his friends outside the Citadel. Nor could he locate Dawn.

He wandered through the metal castle, alone and feeling helpless.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tomas shouted, "Charlie, you got anything for us?!"

The boy nodded. He closed his eyes and lifted his staff. The giant Steelkin slowly turned to him. Charlie seemed oblivious as the Steelkin aimed its vent.

"Charlie, look…!"

The bats exploded from cracks in the canyon walls. They swarmed toward the Steelkin. It suddenly found a dark cloud obscuring its vision and felt a hundred wings beating against its hull. Some of the bats were caught in its breath and fell to the ground as chunks. The majority remained to confound it.

Ben and Tomas went after its legs again. This time, it fell all the way to the ground with a tremendous crash. It should have been the sound of victory.

It merely picked itself up, just as it had done before. It resumed looking down at the annoyance at its feet. The bats retreated, seeing the futility of another attack.

"I think we're out of tricks," Ben said.

"But we're not out of fight," Tomas replied. "Come on."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_This is ridiculous. Why did they change their minds? Why are they fighting a battle they can't win? What's different about…_

_Wait._

_Where is their spy?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Charlie slipped on a patch of ice. As he skidded to a halt, the Steelkin aimed at him. Ben saw this, but he was too far away to help the boy. He could only watch in horror.

Someone could do more than that. Blaze stood between the boy and the iron monster. He took a deep, deep breath.

The Steelkin spat its freezing air. Blaze breathed a streak of fire that intercepted the white cloud. It halted the cloud's advance and rained water onto the earth. The cold quickly overcame the fire and began to force its way downward. Blaze kept blowing fire, but he could not win.

He wasn't trying to. Ben understood this. Charlie didn't. He looked at his friend in harm's way and shouted, "Blaze, don't!" The older boy, however, rushed forward and gathered him with one arm. He rescued Charlie just before the cloud overcame fire and…

"BLAZE!!"

The cloud dissipated. A dragon was now immobilized in his position of defiance, icicles hanging from his chin, a thick cocoon of ice around his body.

Charlie cried against Ben's shoulder. He felt anguished as well. So did Kathy. She was huddled behind another one of the living ice statues. She shook the amulet and yelled, "Why won't you work?! Why won't you do anything?!"

It remained as useless as before. She closed her eyes. "Oliver," she whispered, "please help us."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He passed through a steel door, expecting nothing. He found…something.

He wasn't sure what it was. It had the appearance of an enormous boiler. Several gauges were displayed on it. Each held a quivering needle. Several wide pipes led from the central drum and broke through the walls.

It looked important. The question was – what would happen if it got busted?

He got closer to it. He tried to find a button or a lever. Nothing of the sort was visible.

He did find a long glass cylinder. It was full of bubbling water that got funneled into the machine through metal tubes. The cylinder was close to the floor, so he could touch it.

He looked around him. No one else was around. He pulled down his hood and then tapped the cylinder once. It was scorching hot, and he quickly pulled back his finger. He covered his arm with his cloak and tapped again. He banged the cylinder, harder and harder. He couldn't raise one crack. Something else was needed. Something harder that could…

The door creaked open. Before Oliver turned, he could hear the footsteps of Steelkin. He found five metal soldiers advancing on him. Their swords were already in hand. He grabbed his hood.

Then he stopped. He slowly lowered his hands.

They kept marching for many steps. Then they stopped. They had formed a semi-circle around him. Only a few feet separated the two sides.

They watched him. He watched them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Steelkin was considering its choices. It had Ben and Tomas backing up. The two young men were far apart, so it couldn't freeze both at once. But that only meant it just had to do one at a time.

So which to do first? The Knight or the Viking? Both had hurt it with their vicious little weapons. Perhaps the Knight first, then the Viking and the little Shepherd huddled in the arms of the Witch.

It advanced, slowly turning its head left and right. Ben and Tomas kept backing up until their heels were touching the frozen captives – the ones whose fate they would soon share.

They glanced at each other. Each saw fear, but also determination.

Then they turned and faced the Steelkin, ready for one last attack.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Come on, come on," Oliver taunted. "You know you want it."

The Steelkin examined him. They weren't stupid. They could see the cylinder right behind Oliver. They knew what the cloak could do.

Still, his hands remained at his side. How fast could he raise them?

One of the metal soldiers stepped toward him. His hands remained down.

It took another step. They still remained down.

Another. His arms hadn't moved.

And then with shocking speed the Steelkin crossed the last inches.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ben and Tomas ran toward their enemy, weapons raised, screaming. Almost languidly the Steelkin looked at Tomas. White air rose from its mouth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Oliver didn't raise his hood. There wasn't time for that. However, he could turn as the Steelkin thrust its sword at him. The blade could have pierced his heart. Its tip caught his arm, instead.

At that moment Oliver's mind split in two. Half of it was engulfed in pain. The other half yelled at him to raise his hood, just like he planned.

Using his other arm he grabbed the hood and yanked it upwards. The Steelkin was caught off guard. Having wounded Oliver, it had kept lunging forward. Its momentum carried itself through Oliver. It rammed into the cylinder.

It was hard enough. It was fast enough. The cylinder busted open. Hot water gushed over the floor. A sputter could be heard inside the boiler. It grew to a loud cough. Then the sound of wheezing and screeching gears filled the whole machine. Smoke leaked through the pipes. The needles went all the way to the red.

Then it just stopped. The needles fell to zero. The whole machine was quiet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tomas saw the white cloud approaching him. It was too late for him to dodge. He waited for the overpowering cold.

Then the cloud dissipated. Thin white tendrils floated to the air and evaporated.

The Steelkin had become motionless. Ben and Tomas watched as the red glow in its eyes faded.

It leaned slightly to the right. Then a little more. And a little more.

And then it was plummeting. It crashed to the ground. This time it stayed down.

Tomas and his group needed a few moments to figure out what happened. Then Ben grinned and said, "Oliver, my man."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Oliver watched the Steelkin drop. His enjoyment of their deactivation was tempered by the tremendous pain in his arm. He knelt on the ground and checked his wound. He saw a gleam of metal amongst the blood. He realized that the point of the sword had been within his cloak's range. It became insubstantial with him. Therefore, it still hurt.

Clutching his arms and feeling ill, he staggered to his feet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They spent a couple of seconds cheering. Then they rushed the main door.

"We're here!" Ben shouted after the iron doors fell to his mace. "Show yourself, Terror!"

No one did. They only saw metal men littering the floors of an ugly hall.

"I said, show yourself! Come get…"

"We need to find Dawn," Tomas interrupted. "And Oliver."

The mention of Dawn's name brought ready agreement from Ben. The group split up. Ben and Charlie went looking for Dawn; Tomas and Kathy for Oliver.

The search didn't take long, despite the Citadel's many rooms. They kept expecting to encounter The Terror – the one who had caused them so much trouble, the one who had terrified the whole Realm – but he remained elusive. They only encountered more prone Steelkin.

Ben kept smashing doors. One busted door revealed a stairway. They lead him and Ben into a dungeon. They found many cells. As he looked through one window after another, he discovered empty rooms.

Then they found the one with a young woman sitting on the ground. She had her legs raised toward her chest and her face pressed against her knees. However, Ben would have recognized that curly black hair anywhere.

"Dawn…" he whispered.

She didn't hear him, of course. With his mace he cracked open the door. He and Ben rushed toward the prisoner.

"Dawn!" Ben repeated as he touched her. She flinched, waving her manacled arms.

"Dawn, it's us."

Dawn stopped struggling when Charlie hugged her as tightly as he could. The touch was familiar to her. She slowly raised her face.

And, oh, how Ben had wanted to look at those brown eyes again. He was trembling slightly as she touched his face. She looked down at the boy embracing her. Then she looked at Ben again.

"Yes," his lips said to her. "It's us."

She pulled him into an embrace. For a long time Dawn, her brother and boyfriend stayed in that hug. She couldn't hear Charlie's quiet sobs. Nor could she hear her own. Ben heard them both. He felt like crying himself.

Then he gently pulled away from her. "Come on," he said. "We're getting out of here."

She watched with amazement as he snapped the chains with his mace. After getting to her feet, she took another look at his fur costume.

"Yeah," he said, smiled crookedly at her expression. "I know. Guess you didn't get the new wardrobe."

True. She still had the t-shirt and jeans that she had worn on the ride. Good Lord, that seemed so long ago…

"Follow me," he said. He took the point with Dawn and Charlie behind him, hand in hand. She was also surprised by his wool clothes and staff. Still, he remained her little brother. He grasped her hand as if he was afraid to let go. She felt the same way.

They arrived at the front hall just when Kathy and Tomas had returned. Oliver was walking between them and looking sick. However, his face lit up like everyone else's. "Dawn," he croaked. "Welcome back."

Ben headed toward him. "Oliver, you sly son-of-a-gun, you actually…"

He started to hug Oliver. When Oliver winced, he noticed the wound. "Oh, no…"

"The metal piece has stopped the bleeding," Tomas said. "But we still need to get him out of here. We need to get out of here, period."

Ben frowned. He lifted his mace. "But The Terror…"

"We came here to rescue Dawn. Let's not push our luck."

Ben hesitated, but briefly. Then he nodded and joined the others as they walked out of the Citadel.

They had only gone a few steps when something changed in the air. They felt it first. Then they saw thick, dark lines flowing high above the ground.

Ben saw Dawn's horrified expression. As the lines converged on each other and blended together he said, "It's him."

Tomas looked a question. Ben looked back an answer.

The lines were gathering into a black cloudy shape on the ground. It was taking on the form of a person.

"Everybody," Tomas said quietly, "get ready."

Just like that, happiness turned into fear. However, they did as Tomas ordered. They prepared their weapons. They waited to see the face of their enemy.

A softer color appeared amongst the black. It was the shade of skin. Eyes, hairs and a mouth were forming. As the figure became clearer, everybody except Dawn thought, 'Is that…? No, it couldn't be.' Only she knew otherwise. Only she had seen the face of The Terror.

The lines completely merged into the figure. He now looked just like a human; a human wearing a back suit; a human whose face they had seen a thousand times before and who now left them dumbstruck.

They were looking at the face of Tom Hanks.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Just so you know, I'm not actually Tom Hanks."

He grinned smugly at the shocked young people. "I just took this form to see the expression on your faces. I'm quite pleased by it."

They were still bewildered. "What?" The Terror said. "You thought that I was ignorant of your world?" He wagged a finger at them. "Oh, I know plenty about it. But let's discuss this world instead. Or, as you should call it, your graveyard."

The mace glowed brightly in Ben's hand. "Just try something," he snarled.

The Terror placed his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels. "You really believe I'm afraid of you?"

"Yes," Tomas said.

"Ah. Your ethnic-appropriate leader speaks. What say you, Good Knight Token?"

"I'm saying – your army is no more."

The Terror looked at the giant Steelkin lying on its side. "True. You did destroy the power source for them." He faced Tomas. "But I don't need them."

"Then why didn't you fight us from the beginning?"

"Hmm. You have a point. I admit that I didn't expect this last maneuver of yours. Of course, you remembered Dungeon Master's silly old riddle, didn't you?" He applauded. "Bravo. Well-played." He lowered his hands. "It's just that – you've only gotten this far because I let you."

"No. All the dangers we faced were real."

"They were, they were. I wanted you to be tested. I wanted you to overcome adversity. I wanted you to…feel hopeful. I wanted you to taste victory right before I snatched it away."

The Terror clenched his fist. He slowly raised it. "You've been entertaining, but the game is over. The game was over from the very start. And I'm…"

"STOP!"

The Terror quickly looked to his right. He kept his fist outstretched. Tomas' group looked in the same direction.

Dungeon Master was there. He had one hand raised. He looked at the Terror with the authority of a god. "You will not harm these children!" he proclaimed. "You will leave them be! Go back to the shadows and BE GONE FOREVER!"

The Terror remained absolutely still and quiet for a few seconds. Then he said –

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Dungeon Master paused for a moment. Then he said, "I order you to…"

"Oh, do shut up. What Good Knight Token said about me is meant for you. If you could have stopped this, you would have done it a long time ago. But that's not how it works."

"I was not the one to interfere with the natural forces of the Realm. When you brought one of The Six here, you violated the…"

The Terror laughed. "I violated nothing. You're just jealous because you didn't anticipate the last six whelps that came here. If you could have done it, you would have done the same as me."

Tomas studied the old man's face. He could see a little doubt, a little guilt.

"Everything I've done," the Terror continued, "has been perfectly consistent with the rules of the Realm – the rules a Dungeon Master must abide by."

He looked at the six young ones. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

"I am not leaving."

Surprise appeared on the Terror's face. He quickly faced Dungeon Master. The old man was hesitant, but he declared, "I shall defend them from you."

"If you do that," the Terror said slowly, "then the Realm falls apart."

"The Realm will be my problem. Whatever happens, I will not tolerate your presence for a second longer." Dungeon Master lowered his eyes a bit, as if he was using a gun sight. "I'm telling you for the last time – leave or I'll…"

"This is not your fight."

Dungeon Master quickly looked to the one who had spoken. "This is our fight," Tomas said. His voice was gentle but still commanding. "You must let us finish our quest."

"But…you cannot…"

"Yes. We can. This is what the Realm chose us to do. That's clear now. We must do what The Six has to do. Us, and no one else. Certainly not you."

Dungeon Master wanted to plea with Tomas, but the young man's unblinking eyes prevented him from speaking. He looked to the others. They had the same resolve. They wanted to fight their enemy.

He lowered his trembling hand. "If that," he whispered, "is your wish, Knight." He bowed his head. "I shall step down from this battle. But remember…"

The Terror spun toward Dungeon Master. He opened his fist. A black flame leapt from his fingers. It struck Dungeon Master. He vanished and left a pile of ashes.

"No riddles!" barked The Terror. He looked to the young ones. The face of Tom Hanks smiled at their shock. "Oh, don't worry," he said. "He'll pull himself back together."

He held up his hand. Another black flame danced on the palm. "You, on the other hand…"

He blew on his hand. His mere breath made the flame dart forward like a bullet.

"Scatter!" Tomas ordered. As he did, he swung his weapon. He tore apart the flame into sparks. However, the shock of contact almost made him drop the sword.

Ben said to Oliver, "Can you help me in a sneak attack?" Oliver nodded. Ben motioned to his back.

Oliver hopped onto it and clutched the bigger man with his one good arm. Despite the pain in his other arm, he reached behind him and pulled up his hood.

Ben went after The Terror. Oliver thought – wait, can the cloak work like this? What if it's limited to…

The Terror saw Ben. He turned and fired at him. The black flame went right through Ben and his rider. Oliver sighed with relief.

With The Terror distracted, Tomas went on the attack. He closed the distance between him and his enemy. He drove his sword toward the skull of Tom Hanks.

The Terror spun and swiped the wide part of the blade with his hand. The shock was harder than before. It almost sent the sword flying. Tomas stumbled and tripped to the ground. The Terror pointed at him, ready to shoot another flame.

"Off!" Ben yelled. Oliver pushed himself from Ben. He fell on his side. He was ready for a new pain, but the cloak – as he had suspected – insulated him from the fall.

Nothing insulated The Terror from Ben's mace. He turned just in time to get the weapon right across his cheek. Ben swung it backward and caught him across the other side of his face.

The Terror looked at Ben. He had two holes in his Tom Hanks face. A pulsating black substance was visible through his broken skin.

He smiled. Then he swung his fist at Ben. The young man blocked it with his mace, but the impact knocked him off his feet.

Both of The Terror's hands ignited. He looked between the two fallen men and said, "Now…"

Oliver had crawled toward him. He quickly pulled down his hood, placed his hand on the ground behind the Terror and then whipped the hood back up.

The Terror fell right through the ground. He left no mark on the dirt. He simply passed through it.

Oliver lowered his hood and grinned. Tomas and Ben picked themselves up. "What happened?" Tomas asked.

"I just figured it out," Oliver said. "I can control what gets affected by the cloak. I can make something insubstantial if I'm touching it."

"Which…you just did to the ground."

"Right under The Terror's feet."

"So that's it?" Ben said. "He's trapped?"

Before Oliver could answer, the ground rumbled. He reached for his hood, but it was too late. An explosion of dirt sent him flying. He landed, rolled twice and then lay absolutely still.

The Terror floated out of the new crater. His clothes were filthy, and new cracks had formed on his skin. However, he seemed nonchalant. "CLE-ver," he said. "Very clever." He pointed a fiery hand at the unconscious man. "But pointless…"

"Keep away from him."

He turned. He saw Kathy. She was standing ten feet away from him. She held the amulet toward him.

"Well, well, well," he chuckled. "Stand by your man."

"I'm warning you…"

"Sorry, godgirl, but your success with that amulet has been, uh, a little uneven."

"Then why don't you kill me?"

Ben and Tomas watched helplessly as The Terror shrugged and said, "Have fun in heaven. Or wherever."

He shot a black flame. Kathy kept her eyes open and her arm outstretched as the fire rushed toward her. She whispered, "In Jesus' name I pray…"

The flame hit the amulet.

The amulet sucked up the flame.

The Terror said, "What?"

The flame burst from the amulet and rocketed back to its origin. It scorched The Terror. When it burned itself up, The Terror had more gaps in his clothes and flesh.

He shook his head briefly. "Okay," he said. "That was clever, too. But…"

The amulet shot a thin beam of light. It was long, yellow and pure. It hit The Terror on his chest and burned into him.

"Aaaah." The Terror grimaced as if he felt a bad itch. "Okay, that stings a little. But it's not enough. You'll…"

He heard a crack. He turned toward the frozen captives. Genuine surprise rose on his face.

The ice around Blaze's face was melting. Fire was on the tip of his mouth. Cracks were spreading from its snout to its tail.

He wasn't alone. The much larger dragon was also heating up its straightjacket of ice. Between both dragons stood Charlie with his glowing staff held high.

"How…how are you…"

Charlie's expression showed knowledge beyond what The Terror or your average boy could have. "They were just asleep," he said. "I told them to wake up."

With a heave of their backs, Blaze and the big dragon shattered the ice. White chunks showered the ground with a crunch. The big dragon spread its wings and stared at The Terror with angry dark eyes. Blaze had no wings to spread, but its hate was just as clear.

They marched toward The Terror. Charlie marched between them.

The Terror said, "You're gonna take this personally, aren't you?"

They poured fire upon their enemy. The hot breath of the big dragon could be felt by everyone. As for The Terror…

"Hee-hee-hee." His melting skin did not bother him. The combination of fire and the crystal laser were still painful, but he kept smiling.

Ben scrambled toward Tomas. "Want to make another try?" he asked. "We can't just sit here."

Tomas watched the figure standing almost nonchalantly in the inferno. "No, we can't," he said. "But we need a different tactic."

"Like what?"

Tomas turned his gaze to Ben. "You know what I mean. You felt it before, didn't you?"

At first, Ben was confused. Then he remembered the accidental clash of his mace with Tomas' sword. Something had been stirred in the contact – something that dwelled inside both weapons, but could only be awakened when together.

Ben nodded. They took a position in front of The Terror. Ben pulled back his mace. Tomas pulled back his sword.

They swung them forward. The weapons met each other. Ben and Tomas forced themselves not to stagger back from the impact.

A single oscillating note rose. It was the same sound they had heard before. Only this time it didn't go away. It grew and grew until…

The golden beam shot from their connected weapons. It hit The Terror dead on.

He screamed. He fell to his knees.

Everybody kept pouring on the assault. Kathy continued to drill with the amulet's laser. The dragons didn't stop breathing fire. Even though they felt like they were riding a wild steer, Ben and Tomas did not relent. They had opened something deep and powerful. They had never experienced anything like it. Surely this would conquer their enemy; surely this would win the day.

The Terror had lost all of his movie star form. He was just a black energy in the form of a man. He had bowed under the combined forces against him.

Then he stood – slowly yet inexorably. His face had no features except for a dark mouth and two midnight eyes.

"All right," he growled. "Now I'm mad."

He raised his arms. Black tendrils extended from his fingers. They dug into the fire, the laser and the golden beam like insects into wood. They began to force them back.

His opponents didn't stop, but they could sense a mighty force about to be unleashed. Fear was rising in their hearts. They had thrown everything they had at this monster. He still kept coming back for more.

Then Charlie remembered the flute. It was still hooked under his belt.

He looked to the huge dragon. His sister stood near the tail. She watched this battle, not knowing what to do or how to help.

He ran toward her. He pulled out the flute and showed it to her.

She stared at it, utterly confused. Charlie shook the flute, insisting that she accept it.

In his first years of life Charlie viewed sign language as a perfectly natural thing to learn. He didn't care that his sister couldn't read him a story or sing a tune or even know the sound of his voice. She was still the one who could make him feel better by just smiling. He trusted and loved his older sibling like no else in the world.

That's why Dawn took the wooden flute from him. She looked at its six holes. She had no idea of music, anymore than she knew how to defeat The Terror. And yet there was her brother, looking to her with faith.

So she placed one end in her mouth. She arranged the fingers of one hand over the holes. She closed her eyes.

The flute glowed. She breathed. Her fingers pressed three holes and left two open.

Over the sound of fire and energy blasts, a new sound managed to be heard. It shouldn't have been. It was too gentle and soft. Still, it reached every ear.

They had never heard music like it before. The melody was almost indistinct, but they would never forget it. Despite its softness, it grabbed their attention like an explosion. They would have stopped what they were doing and listened, if the music hadn't been telling them _Don't relent, don't give up, the fight is not yet over…_

Yes, it was speaking to all of them, including The Terror. He did not like what he heard.

He shook his head slowly at first. Then he started to twitch. "Stop it," he muttered. "Stop that…"

The music would not leave him be. He covered his ears. "Stop it!" he yelled. "I demand that you stop it!" If he could have, he would have found the musician and done many horrible things to her. He had already promised to do them, but she was no longer his prisoner. She was free, free like the notes fluttering in the air.

He couldn't think. His mind was being squeezed. His sadistic will was puny compared to this beauty. _You are nothing_, it said. _You are dust. This is the music in the heart of life. You are hearing the essence of friendship and love. Know it and know how small you are._

He screamed, much louder than before. When he fell to his knees, he did not get back up. His weak body was punished even further by the breath of dragons, the combined power of magic and faith, and the might of a power forged in unity. He could have fought back against them, but the sixth warrior had joined them. She was preventing him from drawing on his full strength. Her music was the last thing needed to defeat him.

His scream became inhuman. It was the screech of a trapped animal. His body was locked in a posture of agony.

Then…crack.

Or, rather, CRACK!

It was like the flash of a great light bulb going out. Only this bulb contained darkness instead of light. The flash blinded everyone. Almost all of the different attacks stopped as eyes were closed and covered. Dawn kept playing.

Gradually the flash's effects melted away. Everyone around The Terror blinked several times and then looked at him.

Only he wasn't there. Nothing was in his place. It was as if he had never existed.

Dawn finished the song. The last notes faded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Oliver was not looking forward to consciousness. The last time he was awake, nothing good had been happening. However, the hand gently tapping his cheek and the voice calling to him could not be ignored. He opened his eyes.

He saw Kathy first. She was kneeling at his side. Her face showed gratitude. Standing near her was the rest of their little crew.

He slowly looked around him. Then he said –

"If I don't hear we won, somebody is going to get slapped."

Kathy smiled. So did anyone else. "Then we're safe," Tomas said.

Oliver released a long sigh. He took a moment to relax. Then he tried to sit up. "What happened? How did…"

Several pains stuck him at once. In the arm, of course, but also on the neck, back and head. "Please tell me you got that amulet working," he begged Kathy. "And that you can make some aspirin."

"Well…" she said.

"Allow me," another voice said.

The next thing Oliver knew, one hand was touching his forehead and another was upon his arm. Everybody else backed off. He just lay stunned under the warm touch of Dungeon Master. An electric yet soothing sensation went through his body.

"There," Dungeon Master said. "Rise, good spy."

Oliver did just that. He felt remarkably well. His wounds and bruises had vanished.

"Uh, thanks," he said. "I…"

A tongue lapped his neck – a very big and sticky tongue. He spun and saw a mouth that could swallow his whole head. He scurried backwards, yelping. He stared wide-eyed at a dragon much, much bigger than Blaze.

"It's all right," Charlie said. "He likes you."

"That's…dandy," Oliver gulped.

"Indeed it is," Dungeon Master said. He rubbed the huge golden dragon on its chin. It purred contentedly. "This dragon owes you a debt of gratitude." He frowned. "But the work is not completed…"

He turned to the other frozen captives. He made a slight motion of his hand. The ice melted from them in a cloud of steam. Several men, women and non-humans were left blinking in confusion.

He turned to the Citadel. "And we'll have to take care of that." He made another slight motion. With a fantastic noise the Citadel sank into the ground. Less than a minute passed before the earth swallowed the metal building.

He turned to the young ones. They were staring at him with open mouths. "I can do this now," he said, almost apologetically. "You have fulfilled your duty."

A few seconds of quiet passed before Tomas said, "Have we?"

The others looked at him. "You came back," Tomas noted. "And The Terror seemed nearly as powerful as you. So is he gone for good?"

Dungeon Master's face became sad. "No," he admitted. "Evil like him cannot be vanquished so easily."

"Easily?!" Oliver yelped.

"What I mean is – you have won today's battle. The war has not yet been won."

Tomas slowly nodded. "I guess you would know…Venger."

Dungeon Master looked as if someone had just kicked him. The other young ones looked between him and Tomas, utterly bewildered.

Then the old man nodded. "Yes. I was Venger."

"Hold it," Ben said. "_You_ were the top villain? You were the guy that The Six fought?"

"I was the one that The Six set free. How did you learn this, Knight?"

"It's been in the back of my mind," Tomas said, "ever since I read about the first Six. Jerod said that your father was Dungeon Master before you. We had assumed that Venger was your son, but…well, it just clicked now."

"Hm. I did not wish to tell you, but I was wrong to remain silent. You should have known the truth."

"So," Ben said, "you got your father's job even after what you did."

"I accepted my father's responsibilities. When I first understood the limits that a Dungeon Master must accept, evil and chaos seemed…attractive." He looked down at the ground. "Venger would not have taken the chance of letting others fight The Terror. He would have fought him directly, no matter what happened to The Realm."

"But you had faith in us," Kathy noted.

"Not quite. Not at first." Dungeon Master raised his eyes. "The Good Knight Tomas had to remind me of what's true. I had to let you win."

"You were right to be afraid," Tomas said. "We would have lost if it hadn't been for Dawn." Tomas indicated the woman who was reading their lips, but still not understanding the conversation.

"Of course." The old man turned to Dawn. "Which reminds me…"

In the blink of an eye Dawn had new clothes. They were brightly colored. A pair of long stockings rolled down from shorts to leather shoes. Above them were a loose red tunic and feathered hat.

"You are," Dungeon Master said to the startled woman, "the Troubadour. You may not hear music with your ears, but you can sing it with your heart. Your flute allows the world to know your inner symphony. Use it so that pain may become joy and evil bow to innocence."

After she finished reading his lips, Dawn stared at him for a moment. Then she turned to the others and signed – Could someone explain what the [censored is he talking about?

"He means," Ben said as he walked toward her, "you're needed." He kissed her forehead. Then he signed – I've always known that.

Ben's love overwhelmed her confusion. She looked down at the flute, then raised her face and smiled.

"You are all needed now," Dungeon Master said. "The Terror will return. He will come in a different form, and he will not make the same mistakes twice. Prepare for his next attack."

"I suppose we have no choice," Tomas said. "We can't leave the Realm until we put him down for good. Right?"

Dungeon Master was very hesitant before responding. "You will always have choices, good knight. Make them wisely. Just know that I will be watching over you."

He placed his hands together and bowed. Then he turned and headed for the canyon's bend. The unfrozen people watched in awe as he passed them. When he turned the bend and left their sight, they looked to the young ones. One of them – a man with a bow – walked toward Tomas.

The archer asked, "Are you the leader of this group?"

Tomas spent a moment wondering about the best way to answer this. Then he said, "Yes. I am Tomas the Knight." He motioned toward Ben. "This is Ben the Viking. And this is Kathy the Witch, Oliver the Spy, Charlie the Shepherd and Dawn the Troubadour."

Blaze coughed.

"Oh, yes. And this is Blaze, our companion dragon." He paused and then said, "We are The Six."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Blaze and the big dragon were talking with each other. Nobody else could understand what they were saying, except for Charlie. He watched the dragons grunt and click their tongues. He waited nervously for Blaze to answer a question.

The young dragon answered. Charlie smiled. The big dragon nodded respectfully to Blaze. Then he spread his wings, ran a few steps and took to the sky. Tomas and the others watched this great beast – a mighty creature rising like a feather on the wind – and couldn't help thinking that this world was a place worth knowing.

Blaze and Charlie returned to the group. "The big dragon said that he could take Blaze back to his clan," the boy explained. "But Blaze wanted to stay with us."

"He's certainly welcome," Tomas said. He paused. "Okay, then…"

Ben said, "Where do we go now?"

Tomas looked to the east. They had left the Canyons of Yanday behind them. They were standing on another long plain. The four suns had returned to the sky.

"We'll go to that village suggested by the archer," Tomas said. "There may not be any people there right now. But that'll change soon. Everybody who got chased out by The Terror will be returning."

"So we go to the village," Ben said.

"Yes. If you agree with it."

"I'll go…where our leader says."

Ben and Tomas looked at each other. They both knew that the hatchet hadn't been buried, but a hole had been dug for it.

"Thanks, amigo," Tomas said. He spoke lightly – just enough to soften his point. Ben gave him a half-smile.

"Let's get going," Tomas declared. They started on another long walk – this time with less weariness and more confidence.

Oliver walked alongside Kathy. "Oh, uh, by the way…" he said.

"Yes?"

"I made this for you." He held up a tiny crucifix. It was made out of short twigs and a thin bowstring borrowed from the archer.

Kathy looked at it with an open mouth. Then she smiled. She accepted it and slipped it around her neck. The cross now rested next to the amulet.

"Thank you, Oliver."

"It's just…you know…" He shrugged. A blush was rising on his face. He became aware that Charlie was giggling and that Ben was giving him a sly look. As usual, Oliver used silliness to cover his embarrassment.

"The grrrrreatest advenTURE is what lies ahead," he sang in a quavering, off-key voice.  
"Todaaaaay and tomorROW are yet to be said."

Ben's face became confused. "Huh?"

"It's from _The Hobbit_. The old animated movie."

"Oh. Well, let's not sing that one."

"Okay. How about…" He raised his arms and warbled –

"Wake up, kids

"We've got the dreamer's disease.

"Age fourteen, they got you down on your knees…"

Ben rolled his eyes and looked away from the spy. Oliver kept singing.

"But when the night is falling

"You cannot find the light, light…"

Tomas suddenly joined him in the song. Everybody else stared at him as he sang, "If you feel your dreams are dyin', hold tiiiiiiiight…"

Then Kathy joined the chorus. "You got the music in you/ Don't let go/ You've got the music in you…"

And then Ben added his deep, surprisingly pleasant voice. "One dance left/ This world is gonna pull through…"

Oliver looked around him, surprised at what he started. Then he sang along with them. Charlie didn't know the song, but he bounced to the rhythm on Blaze's back. The dragon nodded to the beat. Dawn couldn't hear them, of course, but she could tell that they were singing together. She walked arm-in-arm with her boyfriend and toward the east with her closest friends. She felt the flute resting inside a long pocket, knowing that its music must be heard again. She was only beginning to understand its power and why she had been drawn into this world. For now, though, she was content to be among those she loved and those who loved her.

Stories about the new Six would quickly spread. From one end of the Realm to the other, there would be much talk about the Knight, the Viking, the Witch, the Spy, the Shepherd and the Troubadour. Everyone knew that The Terror would return. They knew that evil would bring havoc again. However, now they could do more than fear. They could hope. There were six young heroes out there, brave and clever. They walked through the Realm, ready to face the challenges ahead.

And the monsters would do well to get out of their way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


End file.
